Black Caution
by Feldlerche
Summary: Kuroki Shin only wanted to escape from the world where he had little attachments and even fewer friends. When the opportunity arises, would he be able to change his life or will he be doomed to die alone? Note: Pairings are still undecided but it is likely that it will be shounen-ai.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: This is another a plot bunny that was demanding attention. I rather like Märchen Awakens Romance so... Why not? As usual, I try not to create Mary Sues and Gary Stus. If the (accidental) creation occurs, please inform me and I will rectify it ASAP.

Also, if there are any grammatical errors, plot holes or any other things which you feel can be improved, feel free to drop me a PM or Review about it. Constructive criticism will be taken into consideration while flaming will be ignored and used to roast vegetables for my bunnies. Thanks. Please enjoy the story!

MÄR characters are not owned by me. I only own my OCs.

* * *

"Take this! Sacred Sword, Holy Thunder Force!" A loud voice shrieked beside me.

I snarled angrily, not wanting to wake up from my blessed sleep.

The room grew dead silent for a moment, making me sigh happily.

"Ginta… It's you again… You little punk…" The teacher growled angrily, dragging his chalk against the blackboard.

I winced at the ear piercing sound but stubbornly tried to go back to sleep, burrowing my head into my arms.

"Go run laps to wake yourself up!" The teacher exploded, his face crimson with anger as he crushed the chalk in his hand.

"Sensei! Shin was sleeping too!" An irritating voice yelled.

All went silent again for a moment. I lifted my head up sleepily at the sound of my name and hissed angrily at the direction of the stupid little tattletale. A squeak was heard and I fully awoke to see the teacher glaring at me while most of the students were leaning away from me and the poor soul who tattled on me. Ginta remained rather calm next to me, knowing my personality rather well. He was my neighbour after all.

"Shin, you delinquent… Get out and run your laps with Ginta!" The teacher erupted again, his face turning purple with rage.

"Tsk… What makes you think I'll do it?" I challenged, sending a sharp stare to the enraged teacher.

Now, if you think that I'm a delinquent, I don't blame you. I'm not really a delinquent though. It's just that my hair colour, a nice shade of orange if you must know and it's au naturel, and the way I dress – my shirt is always untucked and I like to wear coloured undershirts – makes people assume that I'm a delinquent. I've tried to prove them wrong but with all the nit-picking and assumptions by the teachers, I've given up and started to behave like a delinquent on purpose just to piss them off.

"They certainly don't know that assuming makes an ass out of me and you." I grumbled under my breath, a bad habit that I would like to get rid of but it sticks to me stubbornly, like gum to hair.

If possible, the face of the teacher was turning into a darker shade of purple, making him resemble a nice, ripe plum.

"How dare you…" The teacher breathed; smoke practically gushing out of his pores as he clenched his fists hard.

"Shin, don't create more trouble, please… Let's just run the laps." Ginta urged me, placing a hand on my tense shoulders.

"Fine…" I snorted before stalking out of the classroom like a furious predator as Ginta scurried behind me.

I heard murmurs in the classroom, the students saying things like "I wonder how Ginta puts up with him.", "What a delinquent…" And "Damn, he's scary." The last one made me smirk proudly. I was glad that my reputation was still intact.

* * *

Ginta and I got to the field and we started to run our laps. Well, I ran while Ginta stopped after a minute of running and panted like a dying dog. I sighed and stopped my run, walking over to my best friend who had zero athletic abilities.

"Ginta, you okay?" I asked, placing a hand over his shoulder.

"Yeah… I'm… Fine…" He wheezed and took off his spectacles which were clouded from his panting.

"Let's head back up then. I'll help you." I offered him a hand and pulled him up.

I only show my good side to the people whom I trust. As said by Marilyn Monroe, "If you can't handle me at my worst, you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." I looped his arm over my shoulder and we walked back to the classroom where Ginta slumped down against the wall in exhaustion, still panting hard. He was surrounded by several male students, whom were currently irritating me at the moment. I remained silent though I was ready to voice out my opinions with my fists any moment.

"Ginta, you're pathetic." One of the males, Keita, sneered, "Here's the Sacred Sword, Holy Thunder Force. Go beat Yazawa with this."

"Nice sarcasm." Ginta snorted with a deadpan face.

Keita started laughing like a hyena and grabbed Ginta by his collar before shaking him hard.

"If you want to beat him, you'll have to increase your height twofold." Keita teased while the other males started laughing uproariously.

"Stop that!" I slammed my palms on the table and glared hard at Keita.

"Oh? What are you going to do about it?" Keita dared me, a smug smirk on his face.

"Why you…" I snarled, and got ready to punch the living daylights out of that fat bastard.

Keita's head suddenly jerked forwards from a blow that came from his back.

"Ouch!" He squealed.

"Stop bullying Ginta! Shin, don't use your fists to solve your problems! You'll get into trouble!" Koyuki scolded, hands on her hips.

I snorted and turned away. I didn't really like her and I think the feeling's mutual. She lectured me too much. Too self-righteous in my humble opinion but Ginta has a crush on her so I am forced to spend my time in her presence. I did argue with her once but that made Ginta angry at me and he refused to talk to me until I apologised to Koyuki.

"We're not bullying him, Koyuki-chan. We're making him man up!" Another student, Jirou, claimed, yanking Ginta's cheek.

"Now you've done it!" Ginta roared and ran after the group like a charging bull but lost steam rather quickly due to his low stamina.

This made the group laugh louder while Koyuki slapped her palm onto her face in annoyance. I refused to do anything for Ginta this time, feeling indignant from my recount of his refusal to speak to me just because of Koyuki. I went home after that, sulking that Ginta wanted to walk home with Koyuki instead of me. What? He's my only friend!

* * *

"I'm home!" I called out to my empty apartment.

I don't know why I keep doing that. I've been living alone for a few years now, ever since my parents died from a freak accident when their car crashed into a large lorry. They died on impact, apparently. I was grateful for that though, because they would suffer had they been alive after that. The car was on fire and glass was everywhere, before the car exploded that is. I still remember that there was no choice but to have a closed casket funeral since the remains of my parents could not be properly recovered. They had to be scrapped off the road for heaven's sake!

I cleaned up the apartment and did some homework before deciding to eat my dinner. I, unlike most males, can actually cook since I've been living alone. It'd be sad if I ate nothing but packaged bentos from convenient stores. I had a nice dinner of rice with stir-fried vegetables and grilled mackerel before I headed off to my part-time job. I work at sushi shop as a waiter and sometimes, as a chef. I'm able to work there though I'm seventeen because I am good friends with the owner of the establishment. I've been working for them for about three years.

Soon, it was rather late at night, perhaps about ten. I was cleaning up and chatting with the last few customers when a vision suddenly assaulted my head.

"The connection will form soon." A teen with dark blue hair two upside down triangles under his left eye said in a faraway voice.

"Shin...! You okay?" Shigeru oji-san, the owner of the fine establishment asked gruffly, giving me a manly slap on my back.

I nodded my head, slightly bewildered by that strange vision but chalked it up to being tired. I finally finished clearing up and waved goodbye to Shigeru oji-san and strolled home. I finished up with my homework and remaining chores before showering. I removed my futon from the cupboard and rolled it out. After crawling into my comfortable bed, I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. The words of that teen were persistently floating in my head like a mantra, rendering me sleepless. Finally, I somehow managed to fall asleep and I had a dream.

In my dream, I saw Ginta fighting against a strange, topless man with a mask and had a blade was attached to each of his hands. Ginta somehow formed a strange silver weapon on his hand; something like a kendama hammer with the sharp point changed to a large ball, and defeated the man in one blow with that weapon.

At that very moment, I could hear the shrills of my alarm clock, trying to get me up in time for school. Aftering groggily awakening, I made breakfast and my bento before getting ready for school.

* * *

When I reached the classroom, I saw some guys crowded around a dopey looking Ginta. They exchanged some words before Ginta rapidly withdrew his desk and sulked with a large pout. Suddenly, Koyuki appeared, making me steer clear of the area. I walked to my seat and plopped down gracelessly, watching Ginta blush while talking to Koyuki.

"He's got it bad…" I muttered to myself, smirking as I saw Ginta suddenly stand up and talk to Koyuki.

"It's connected." A voice called out suddenly.

I recognised that voice as the one I heard last night and stood up. The room turned dark and a strange glowing circle appeared underneath Ginta. There was a face in the middle, with crosses for eyes and a tongue sticking out. Everyone started to panic and three blue flames appeared in mid-air. A strange wraith like creature with the exact same face of the one in the circle melted out of nowhere, its sharp clawed hands stretched out in front of it.

"The portal is opening." The creature sang, its red robe fluttering about.

Screams of fear and disbelief started to fill the still air while Koyuki stood stock still, staring at the strange creature. Everyone started to run out of the classroom desperately, trying to get away from what they deemed a monster. Seeing their panic only made the creature laugh wickedly. I personally wholeheartedly agree with the monster. Foolish humans who fear and want to destroy things they don't understand…

An ominously glowing metallic double gate with the creature's face shot up from the aforementioned circle, shocking Koyuki even further. She flopped down onto the floor, her legs seeming to have lost all feeling. Ginta walked over to her and scooped her up bridal style and grinned widely.

"See, Koyuki. It wasn't just a dream! It's the world I saw in my dreams, except this isn't a dream!" He said excitedly, his eyes practically shining.

I turned my head to look at the gate and was momentarily stunned silent at the image granted to me. Cities were burning while people with strange masks and a peculiar fashion strolled through the cities, smiling widely or moving in a relaxed manner. It was clear that they were the ones who burnt down the cities. This was the world Ginta saw? Somehow I couldn't believe it.

"Ginta…? What are you seeing..? All I'm seeing are cities burnt down to the ground while strange people are walking through it like they own the place…" I asked tentatively.

Ginta and Koyuki turned to me with identical expressions of horror and alarm.

"What…? I see a clear blue sky with green meadows and a long winding path. There are also some buildings that look like ruins, many trees, a large towering mountain and a few stacks of rocks..." Ginta trailed off while Koyuki remained silent.

"Apparently, you two can see it…" The red wraith cut in, its voice gleeful.

"I… don't see anything… Can you two see it? Are you the only ones who can see it…?" Koyuki whispered, looking disappointed as she stared hard at the gate.

The wraith shook one of his hands and opened it, revealing a die tumbling down.

"There! The die says two. Only two will be passing through!" The wraith announced happily, "You who saw the vision… You either want to escape from this world or you believed in the existence of another world, correct?"

Ginta stared back at the wraith resolutely and I found myself staring too, except in disbelief. I guess it's true that I want to escape this world, to find a new place to start over.

"That's why the portal opened up for you." The wraith continued.

"Enter." The wraith murmured reverently.

"Hurry up and get out, Ginta! Get out with Koyuki-chan!" Keita yelled.

Well, how nice of them to forget me. Well, it's not as if I'm well-liked in school anyway.

"Um… I'd like to enter as well. Can I…?" Koyuki asked nervously.

"If more people enter than the number stated on the die, I cannot guarantee their safety." The wraith replied morbidly, a dark grin pasted onto his white face.

Hearing that, Ginta gulped and walked to the door where everyone was gathered. He dropped Koyuki off there and said something before walking back into the classroom.

"No! Someone grab him!" Keita shrieked.

"Shit! We can't enter from here!" Another student cursed as he slammed into an invisible force field.

"The monster said something about entering a parallel world!" One other student shouted in fear.

"Is he really going to enter?" A voice screamed anxiously.

"I could still be dreaming… But if I don't go now, I get the feeling that I'll probably never get another chance." Ginta explained with a large smile.

The students outside started screaming and shouting while I snorted by the side.

'Well, looks like only Ginta has people who care about him…' I thought bitterly to myself.

Meanwhile, Koyuki muttered something under her breath before facing Ginta with a forced smile.

"Promise me that you'll bring back stories of your adventure later!" She demanded, to which Ginta responded with a thumbs up.

Ginta turned and walked back to the room with an excited look upon his face and walked to the door, with me trailing silently behind him. Soon, we were both at the steps. With a nod to each other, we started to push open the gate. Out of nowhere, a gust of wind suddenly blew and whirled around us, as the gate opened to reveal a blinding shaft of bright yellow light. Ginta ran in, while I walked in sedately and flipped off the watching crowd, smirking at them as the doors started to close. This was met with shouts of outrage and anger but hey, it's me we're talking about.

* * *

In the middle of a dark forest where light barely penetrates, a blue-haired teen with two upside down triangular markings below his left eye gasped as a ring on his finger shattered.

"An unexpected development… Two from the parallel world shall come..." The teen muttered gravely as his faithful fairy looked on with concern.


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Note: As usual, if there are any grammar errors, plot holes or any other things which you feel can be improved, feel free to drop me a PM or Review about it. Constructive criticism will be taken into consideration while flaming will be ignored and used to roast vegetables for my bunnies. Also, I try not to create Mary Sues and Gary Stus. If the (accidental) creation occurs, please inform me and I will rectify it ASAP.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

I do not own MÄR Heaven and everything in it. I only own my OCs.

Explainations regarding ÄRMs come from Marpedia.

* * *

"Holy fucking shit!" I yelled as I fell from the bloody SKY of all things.

The sky was dark, not because it was in the night, but because the air was filled with soot. I closed my eyes and covered my nose and mouth with my hand to prevent the soot from getting in. After what felt like an eternity of falling, I slammed hard into an object and broke through it before slamming into another object.

"Shit… That hurt…" I grumbled, coughing at all the dust flung up due to the heavy impact.

I blinked and looked up, only to see a group of awed and bewildered people gathered around me. I laughed nervously and looked at the people. They were dressed simply, with plain tunics or vests and trousers for the males while the females wore nondescript dresses.

"Get off me, you oaf!" A muffled voice shouted from under me.

Oops. I leapt off like my behind was on fire and turned to see who I crushed. A middle-aged man who looked no older than thirty glared at me from his spot on the ground of a destroyed house. He sat up and grumbled about wrenched shoulders and backs before rubbing said abused spots.

"Kid, what do you eat? You weigh a bloody tonne! It's ridiculous how heavy girls are these days…" The man complained, levelling an accusing finger at me.

"What the…! I do not weigh a tonne! And I'm not a girl! I'm male in case you can't see, you blind old fool!" I countered hotly, my fists clenched to my side as I glared daggers at him.

"I'm only twenty-eight, you insolent brat! You wouldn't look like such a girl if you don't have long hair! Pansy!" He bellowed back, face slightly red from either anger or exertion.

"I do not have long hair! It only reaches my… back?! What the..!" I shrieked loudly like a little girl, though I would vehemently deny it later and claim that it was a manly shout.

"Ha! Who's the blind fool now?" The man laughed, clutching his belly while pointing a finger at me.

"Urk…" My face reddened in embarrassment.

"And where's my apology? You're the one who crashed through the wall of MY house and landed on MY back!" He demanded.

I knew that it was my fault this time so I decided to do the right thing and apologise, no matter how much I wanted to beat the snot out of this man.

"Sorry, old man." I apologised sulkily, my face positioned pointedly away from his surprised gaze.

"Well I'll be… You actually have manners! Though the old man bit was rather unnecessary…" He said, seeming to have gone into shock.

"Shut it, you geezer!" I yelled, my face turning redder in what I hope the others interpreted as anger instead of embarrassment.

"I'm not a geezer, you little eggplant! How did you crash into my place anyway? Chess Pieces punted your puny little ass in?" He teased with a wide grin that made him look like a bloody playground stalker since his rather thick eyebrows were wiggling like caterpillars.

"Yeah, yeah… Whatever you say… Who're the Chess Pieces? Bullies in the town?" I asked, curious to know more about this world.

"B-Bullies in the town? Are you joking?! They're an evil group bent on taking over MÄR Heaven! What rock have you been living under?" He exclaimed while the other villagers stared at me in disbelief.

"I'm not from around here. I'm… From a village that's still unsullied by the Chess Pieces… Yet…" I said slowly, wondering if I should disclose my identity of being from another world.

"I sure can see that!" The man snorted before shooing the other villagers away from his home.

"Repair whatever you can first! I'll deal with the more serious ones later! And bury the dead, for MÄR's sake!" He yelled after them before slamming his door shut.

* * *

The man ran to get some wooden boards and hammered them into the hole I fell through speedily and skilfully before taping a piece of cloth over it. He gestured me to take a sit on one of the rickety wooden chairs, which I did out of politeness. He sat on a chair opposite of me and looked at me seriously.

"You're not from this world, aren't you?" He asked quietly, steel hidden in his voice.

I gulped and ruminated over whether to tell the entire truth or not; that I came through a gate guarded by a wraith that had a clown's face with crossed eyes. The man gazed at me intently with tensed shoulders and seemed ready to attack me if I were to be hostile or lie.

'Well, might as well tell the truth… It's not like lying will get me anywhere in a foreign world…' I thought to myself.

"I… I come from a parallel world. I entered through a strange gate that had the face of a clown with crossed eyes." I started, staring at the man to gauge his reaction.

He looked shocked, which was understandable. After all, it's not like there's a lot of people from parallel worlds, I think…

"Y-You got here through the GATEKEEPER CLOWN?! Do you know how rare and powerful that ÄRM is?" He cried out, jolting out from his seat as he gesticulated wildly.

"Err… No? Since I'm from a parallel world and all… What's an ÄRM?" I asked tentatively.

"W-What's an ÄRM?! Now I really do know you come from a parallel world… ÄRMs are artifacts known to every resident born in the land of MÄR Heaven and used by almost all for a variety of purposes. They range from simple chores like gardening to more complex things like elemental manipulation or teleportation. ÄRM's creation and its magical counterpart, magic stones, originated from the Magic Kingdom, Caldea. They were manufactured by the wizards through special metallurgy, giving them extraordinary power in the form of normal accessories. ÄRMs can almost always be "upgraded" with magic stones. They contain the abilities of other ÄRMs as well as magical power to boost any ÄRM's abilities." The man explained.

"I-I see… Do you have an example?" I asked while concealing my excitement of such an amazing thing.

"Sure. Now which one should I show you…?" The man muttered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his brown cargo pants.

"Ah! How about this one? Weapon ÄRM: Chain-Sickle!" He announced, brandishing a ring with a sickle motif.

A blue glow surrounded the ring and it seemed to burst into particles before reforming into a kusarigama. I gaped at the sight, my eyes bulging out in shock. The man guffawed at my awestruck expression and twirled the chained weight of the kusarigama around casually.

"Here's something better! Extend!" He shouted.

The weighted chain extended and shot through the wall again before retracting. My jaw fell to the ground at that sight, rendering me speechless from shock. The man somehow made the kusarigama dissolve into particles to form the ring again before closing my open jaw and snapping his fingers in front of my dazed face.

* * *

"That was pretty cool! Are there any other types of ÄRM?" I asked, eager to know more.

"Of course! There are many types of ÄRM. On the whole, there are nine types of ÄRM - Weapon ÄRM I've shown you, Simple ÄRM which are a little more than tools like hoes and shovels, Holy ÄRM used for healing and curse breaking, Guardian ÄRM where a monster or guardian of sorts is summoned, Darkness ÄRM which are used to curse people, Dimension ÄRM which can teleport anyone to different places and create pocket dimensions, Nature ÄRM which are used for elemental attacks or body enhancing effects, Ghost ÄRM which attach to the user's body and allows the user to use his or her body as a living weapon and finally, Unique ÄRM that cannot be classified into any other category." The man explained, pausing for breath in between the long introduction.

"Can you teach me how to use these ÄRMs?" I requested, staring at the man intently.

"No." He replied bluntly.

I was about to protest but closed my mouth when the following words were uttered.

"An ÄRM's power depends largely upon the user's aptitude - mentally, physically and above all, magically: one must have magical power - without it, the user is incapable of using powerful ÄRMs, or in case he/she uses weak ÄRMs, the effect is minimal. You don't have a drop of magical power in you now, not even a tiny drop."

"There has to be some way to build up magical power then! Please teach me!" I was almost begging by now.

"Well, there are two ways to do that. The first option is to train your compatibility with the ÄRM by using it in multiple fights or synchronizing with it – think that the ÄRM is a part of your body. The second option often requires what one calls 'sixth sense' - the stronger the sense, the more skilled the user will become." He stated.

"I see. Could you help me with that?" I asked politely.

"Ha! Why must I help an impolite little punk like you who calls me geezer and old man?" He snorted, hands crossed over his chest.

'I must be polite. I must not hit this old fogey. I must be polite. I must not hit this old fogey.' I recited this mantra in my head as I struggled to think of a reason.

"I could help you with the Chess Pieces problem. I'm sure they won't raid the village only once. There should be bandits around this area too, right? I can help to defend the village against those too." I offered, giving the best reason I could think of.

"It's true that I alone wouldn't be able to protect the village much… Tell you what, brat. I'll give you a trial period. Prove yourself to me that you are worth teaching first." He stipulated.

"That's fair… I'll do it. Any particular way you want me to prove myself?" I was no stranger to working hard and proving myself to people so this shouldn't be a big problem.

"Go help the villagers. See if they need any help."

Well, that's something I could do. There was just one problem.

"I don't think the clothes I'm wearing now will cut it though. Got any spare clothes, old man?" I asked.

"No! I don't have clothes for rude little shits like you!" He yelled furiously.

"Oh come on. Get over it! You're old! Well, older than me anyway. I won't be able to help the villagers to my fullest ability if I wear this!" I wheedled him.

"Oh fine! Wait here." He gave in and stomped to another room which I assumed was his storage room.

* * *

He returned with some peculiar clothing which I wore rather reluctantly. Clothes were clothes after all. I wore a black, elastic and tight mid-drift top* that was sleeveless with a turtleneck collar that covered three-quarters of my neck. Following that were black loose chiffon pants that bared the sides of my hips and were held in place by white bandages slung low around my waist*. The wide ends of the pants were secured to my ankles with white bandages that covered my ankles. My feet were covered by plain black Nei Lian Sheng cloth shoes. Black fingerless gloves made from cloth extended from my palm to my elbows.

"You have weird fetishes old man, giving me a mid-drift shirt and pants that show my hips." I teased, making him flush crimson.

"I do not! These are the only clothes I have that fit your size! And stop, calling me old man! I have a name, damn it!" He practically deafened me with his screech.

"Oh, so your name is damn it? Well, it's unusual, but I guess I can still call you that." I needled him, a Cheshire smile on my face.

"Argh! My name's Günther, you cheeky little twit!" He roared in frustration.

"I'm not a twit! The name's Shin, you old bastard!" I shouted back.

The thing I hated most were to be called stupid and being underestimated. They pissed me off to no end. The people who did that generally ended up bruised and bloodied, with broken bones if I was feeling unmerciful.

"I'll call you by your name if you stop calling me any variant of old. We're doing nothing but pissing each other off otherwise." He suggested.

"Fine." I agreed.

"Right! Off you go to help the people!" He shoved me outside of his home and slammed the door with a loud 'bang'.

* * *

I grumbled various obscenities and vulgarities under my breath but ultimately decided to just ignore Günther. I peered around the village to see what I could help with. There were many rubble and wood splinters around so I decided to help them clear it. I approached a villager who was struggling with a rather large piece of stone.

"Hey, do you need any help? We can carry it together." I proposed.

The villager turned to look at me and dropped the heavy piece of stone with his mouth open. I quickly caught the rubble, expecting it to be ridiculously heavy and yet it was lighter than a feather. This time, it was my turn for my jaw to drop. The rubble easily required two people to carry and yet it was lighter than feather for me? That was strange but hey, super strength helps a lot.

"Well, I guess I'll carry it alone. It's ridiculously light. Where do I need to put it?" I asked as I lifted the large rubble with only one hand.

"Um… Er… Urk…" The man sputtered, unable to answer.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked, concerned for the man who seemed to be choking on his spit.

"Y-Yeah… I-I'm fine… Just put it at the pile of rocks over at the quarry there." The man seemed to have finally gathered himself and pointed to the direction where many villagers were headed while lugging some rocks.

"Thanks."

With that, I headed to the quarry, whistling as I went. I ignored the stares of the people and dumped the rubble onto a stack of rocks and looked around for more things to do. Noticing that there were a lot of people struggling with their load, I went forward to help them. My appearance and ridiculous strength were met with more than a few raised eyebrows, unhinged jaws and sputtering. I guess bright orange isn't a normal hair colour here and neither is super strength a common thing.

"Well, that's a wrap." I muttered to myself as all the rubble were finally stacked in the quarry.

"Thank you for the help." The first villager I met bowed in thanks, the others following suit.

"There's no need to bow. I just did what I could. Is there anything else I can help with?" I asked the various villagers.

"The dead have been buried. The rubble is stacked. The wood is already in the shed. I don't think there's anything else to do…" The villagers murmured among themselves.

"Help! There's a monster rampaging near the edge of the village!" A woman shrieked as she puffed and panted over, gasping for breath

The villagers gasped and started to whisper and point for each other to go and stop the monster. It was clear that no one wanted to risk their life. I snorted at the cowards and volunteered myself. Seeing that, the villagers started to gain courage and volunteered themselves too. In the end, the whole lot of us went to stop the monster.

* * *

"What the hell…" I muttered when I saw the monster.

It was a nekomata, a bloody fucking nekomata in all its fire-breathing, two-tailed glory. The nekomata was white with black tribal designs that stretched from the crown of its head to the start of its tail and was about the size of an elephant. The tribal designs looked like wings of a demon. Right on the pattern sprouted black wings reminiscent of a bat, the wing tips burning with a ghostly blue fire. Around its legs and tails were black rings where blue fire emerged from. The nekomata looked pretty angry, its slitted red orbs glaring at the screaming humans. Looking down at its feet, I saw what seemed to be a bear trap tightly clamped onto one of its forepaws.

The villagers quailed at the wrath of the raging cat demon while I groaned and face palmed. The nekomata was obviously attacking the humans who it thought attacked it and went for the nearest human settlement. Sighing, I walked towards the enraged nekomata and ignored the calls of the frantic villagers. The nekomata was about to send its blue fire to burn me to a crisp but stopped and sniffed in my direction.

"Good nekomata… Good nekomata…" I cooed, trying to calm down the agitated creature as I approached it.

The nekomata didn't react and continued to sniff in my direction, seeming to have calmed down a little. I went forward to its injured paw and was met with an angry hiss and an attempt to bat me away.

"I'm just going to get that thing off your paw, so calm down, okay?" I told the nekomata that was hissing furiously.

The nekomata looked at me distrustfully but decided to let me enter its personal space. I went straight to its injured paw and scrutinised the bear trap, trying to come up with the best way to remove it without hurting the giant cat any further. There seemed to be no other way but to pry it open, which I did effortlessly thanks to my super strength. The nekomata grunted in pain from the initial attempt to pry it but let out another hiss of relief once the bear trap was pried off its paw. It licked its paw in an attempt to heal it.

"Get me some bandages, disinfectant and ointment, quickly!" I ordered one of the speechless villagers.

He scrambled to follow my order and came back minutes later. I grabbed the medical supplies with a grunt of thanks and moved towards the giant cat. Seeing me approach, the nekomata gave me a cursory glance but did not stop me from getting close again, perhaps because I helped to get rid of the item that was causing it pain. I went to its injured paw and raised up the bandages with a silent request for it to extinguish its flames. Thankfully, it did as requested and I was able to disinfect the wound, apply the ointment and bandage the wounded paw.

The nekomata craned its neck to inspect the dressed wound before deeming it acceptable and gave me a lick with its large tongue as a gesture of thanks and appreciation, or so I assumed. I patted the now friendly cat and gestured for it to leave before turning to head back to the villagers who were silent in awe. Unexpectedly, something tugged at my pants and I turned around to find a miniature version of the giant nekomata, without any flames pulling at my pants. The cat, now the size of a kitten mewled and rubbed its head against my leg.

"What do you want?" I asked gruffly, unused to anything showing me affection.

The nekomata gave another mewl and did a figure-eight around my legs, purring incessantly as it did so.

"You want to come along?" I asked.

The cat gave its version of a smile and nodded its head. It then proceeded to hop onto my shoulder gracefully before climbing up to my head. Deeming it a suitable perch, it laid down and curled its two tails around itself and gave a mewl, possibly an order to start walking. I snorted but walked towards the village, the villagers giving me a wide berth due to the nekomata resting on my head.

'Feh. Foolish humans… Fearing what they do not understand. I hate it when they do that.' I thought as I clenched my fists hard, fingernails digging into my flesh.

* * *

I stalked to Günther's house and opened the door without knocking.

"Hey! Haven't you heard of knocking?" Günther exclaimed, shaking a fist at me.

"Yes, I have. I just choose not to do it." I smirked.

"Urk… You little… Have you helped the village?" He demanded.

"Yes. I stacked up rubble and saved those idiots from an enraged nekomata that got caught in their bear trap." I replied, feeling irritated at those silly people.

"You wouldn't be referring to the one atop your head, would you?" Günther asked curiously.

"I am. You have a problem?" I challenged.

"No, none at all. It's rather cute by the way." Günther commented and stretched out a hand to pat it.

The nekomata, disliking the comment that it was cute, hissed at the approaching hand, causing Günther's hand to pause in mid-air before reaching forward and patting the cat anyway. To be honest, I was rather surprised at Günther's reaction. He wasn't like those paranoid villagers who thought that the cat was dangerous because it attacked them, not noticing that it was their actions that caused it. It was quite a pleasant surprise.

"Well, you aren't so bad after all." I said after a short moment of silence.

"Ha! You finally see the greatness of me." He boasted, making me roll my eyes.

"What's the little guy's name?" He asked, stroking said little guy.

"I haven't come up with one yet. Want to help me with that?" This raised Günther's eyebrow.

"Well, aren't we nice today…? How about Cat?" He suggested.

"You have got to be joking…" I muttered in disbelief.

"No. I'm serious." He stared at me intently.

"No way!" I rejected, with an approving hiss from the cat atop my head.

"Tails? Kitten? Kitty? Snowflake? Paws?" He proposed, much to my disgust.

"How about no, no, no, no, NO!" I exploded angrily, wondering if he was really serious while the cat hissed furiously.

"Relax! I was just joking! I'll be serious! I swear!" Günther held his hands up in surrender as a bead of sweat slid down his tanned skin.

"You'd better be." I muttered while the nekomata hopped off my head onto the floor, glaring at Günther.

"How about Chase or Orion?" He offered.

"Those actually sound good." I was surprised.

"Which one do you want? Raise your left paw if you want Chase and your right paw if you want Orion." I told the nekomata who looked deep in thought.

"Ha! The cat wouldn't…do…that…?" Günther trailed off, his eyes bugging out when he saw the cat, or rather, Chase, do that.

Chase gave the gaping Günther a superior smirk and a smug sniff before hopping onto my left shoulder.

"What an evil cat… I bet it got that horrible personality from you!" Günther cried out, pointing an angry finger at me.

"Like I'd have enough time to influence Chase! Anyway, I've already helped the villagers, so help me build up my magical power!" I demanded.

"Well, alright. I did promise. Here we go! Dimension ÄRM: Training Gate!" He yelled, raising a chain with the head of what seemed to be a dragon with a ring in its mouth at the end of the chain.

The chain glowed brightly and I found a large gate beneath me. The gate opened abruptly, causing Chase and I to fall in.

"You damned old fucker!" I yelled, shaking a fist at the grinning Günther who tossed in something as well before the gate snapped shut.

* * *

I started to free-fall dangerously fast, Chase clinging onto me tightly with his claws. With a loud thump, I crashed into the ground for the second time that day. I saw nothing but black soon after, going unconscious from the impact of my head slamming into the unforgiving ground, but not before seeing something sparkle at the edges of my darkening vision.

* * *

Words with Asterisks (*)

Mid-Drift Top - Think Envy's shirt from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Pants - The top of the pants is like Harribel's pants from Bleach, just that the pants are black and the belt holding them up is changed to white bandages.


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Note: As usual, if there are any grammar errors, plot holes or any other things which you feel can be improved, feel free to drop me a PM or Review about it. Constructive criticism will be taken into consideration while flaming will be ignored and used to roast vegetables for my bunnies. Also, I try not to create Mary Sues and Gary Stus. If the (accidental) creation occurs, please inform me and I will rectify it ASAP.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

I do not own MÄR Heaven and everything in it. I only own my OCs.

Explanations regarding the accessing of magical power and the theory of it are all my own postulations.

* * *

"Nhnn…" I moaned as I started to stir.

I opened my eyes and blinked a few times, trying to get rid of my blurry vision. I sat up carefully, only to find myself in a cave. I was pretty sure that I crashed onto open ground, not a cave… I decided to get up and do some exploring of the cave. Just as I got up, a voice cut through the silent cave.

"Oh, you're up.." A silken tenor commented blandly.

I whirled around and found my wine-red orbs meeting crimson rubies. The man who spoke had white hair that was loose and reached his lower back. He was lithe and toned, built for speed. He was rather tall, standing at about 6' 0", or about 183 cm, making me feel inferior with my shorter stature of 5'9" or 175 cm. He wore a loose white jump-suit like garment, much like those the ancient Greeks wore. He had a sharp face that resembled a feline's, with slitted crimson eyes, a sharp nose and thin lips that had fangs poking out like some cheesy vampire. The most interesting features were the two white cat ears atop his head as well as the two tails swaying behind him. All in all, he looked rather handsome and truth be told, sexy.

"A-Are you Chase…?" I asked tentatively.

"I'd think that would be quite obvious. However, humans with the exception of you seem to think otherwise." He rolled his eyes sniffed rather disdainfully.

I snorted. I didn't know humans were that retarded. I mean, come on! This guy has the same eyes and even a pair of cat ears and two bloody tails! Are his previous masters fucking blind?! My thoughts must have been pretty obvious since Chase chuckled and gave me an indulgent nod, probably an answer to my rhetorical question, I think… I may be thinking too much…

"Since you seem to be in the pink of health, I won't bother checking you over." Chase intoned indifferently before fiddling with something my turquoise orbs couldn't see.

An awkward silence descended upon us and I suddenly thought of something that I saw before I blacked out - the shiny item Günther tossed in after me. Just as I was about to voice my question, Chase being the seemingly telepathic bastard he was, answered me.

"I found this ring. I think it's an ÄRM that Günther tossed in before the Training Gate closed." He offered me said ring with a rather reluctant look on his face.

I turned the ring around and inspected it. The ring looked to be made of silver and had a motif of a war fan on it. Squinting, I saw some engravings on the inner band of the ring, but I couldn't read it. The lightning was too dim in the cave.

"Chase, could you check what this says? I can't really see well in the dark." I asked.

"Fine." He muttered in an irritated fashion.

He took the proffered ring and stared hard at the inner band.

"It says Weapon ÄRM: Tessen." Chase stated.

"Well, I guess I'll try and activate it." I muttered and took the ÄRM from him.

"Weapon ÄRM: Tessen." I said, expecting the ÄRM to dissolve into particles and form a war fan but it remained as it was.

I growled at it, glaring hard. If looks could kill, this puny ring would have been melted and broken ten times over. Chase laughed, making me glare and unknowingly pout at the smirking demon cat.

"Foolish. You don't have magical power so you won't be able to activate the ÄRM yet." He insulted, an amused smile painted on his face.

It might have been my eyes playing tricks on me but I think I saw a tiny streak of pink across his cheeks. Probably my eyes going bad in this dark cave.

"Ugh. Again with the stupid magical power! How on earth would I be able to activate it if I can't synchronise with it?!" I raged.

"Well, You can always train hard and earn it or something." Chase suggested.

"Eh... You going to help me with the training or something?" I raised a casual eyebrow.

"No." He rejected me rather flatly.

"Well shit. How else am I going to know what to do." I muttered to myself.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed through the cave. Chase and I tensed up, ready for an attack only to see a teenaged boy who looked about fourteen with wolf ears and a tail staring at us curiously. Chase stared at him distrustingly while I decided to do something anyone would do right now.

"Who're you?" I demanded from the teen, who jolted in surprise at my sudden question.

"I'm Lupus, a Guardian ÄRM of Günther-sama. I'm used to guide people in the Training Gate. I'm sorry for being late! I was kinda side-tracked by this rabb- I mean planning your training schedule." The canine teen cried out and bowed repeatedly.

"Whatever. What's on for training?" I brushed aside his rather insincere apology.

"He could be an enemy spy luring you away to kill you." Chase cut in rather rudely with an admittedly valid point.

"And why would he want to kill me?" I raised my eyebrow once more.

Chase had no reply for that and glared sullenly at Lupus instead. I decided that he was not feeling sociable instead of being unable to come up with a reason since I could come up with plenty. Ignoring the disgruntled nekomata, I gestured for Lupus to show the way and followed the fidgeting guide out of the cave.

A slight smile tugged at my lips as I heard an almost silent sound of padding behind me, indicating that Chase was following us outside as well.

* * *

When we finally emerged from the cave, Lupus stood at the side and toyed with his ears nervously while I started to tap my feet, waiting for Lupus to spit out something useful.

"Well, what am I going to do for training?" I asked rather impatiently, making Lupus jump.

"U-Um… We're going to tap into the core of your magical essence to release the magical power locked away. It's done by meditation… Oh! And you can't leave the Training Gate unless you reach the targeted amount of magical power Günther-sama set for this place." He explained.

'So… I guess it's something like accessing chakra in Naruto…' I mused.

"How do I enter this meditative state?" I questioned.

"Basically, you have to empty your mind of all thought." Chase explained simply.

"Right. I'll try now." I muttered before closing my eyes and attempting to do what I have not done before.

Up till now, I never knew how hard it was to empty my mind of thought. It was easy to get distracted by stray thoughts which my mind would hungrily lock onto. Chase helped me focus though, my hitting my head hard when he could tell I had trouble focusing on emptying my mind. This went on for an undetermined amount of time and finally, I managed to enter the meditative trance.

* * *

I knew that I was searching for something, but not what exactly the thing was. After all, I haven't seen magical essence nor felt it before. As I probed deep into the recesses of my body and soul, I felt a sudden gush of warmth. Seduced by its comforting pulse, I followed the gentle warmth and found the core of that wonderful heat – a glowing light that was restrained by an orb. Deducing that this was likely my magical core, I did the stupidest thing I could ever do and I poked the glowing blue orb hard. Unexpectedly, the orb shattered, creating a horrible screech that made me snap out of my trance.

My eyes snapped open as I panted, the phantom screech ringing in my ears and piercing my soul. Chase looked at me with veiled concern as I wondered if I had done something I should not, but Lupus cut off my train of thought.

"Great! You've managed to unlock your magical reserves. Now then, it's time for some rest before going onto physical training and alternating with training to increase your magical reserves and synchronising with your ÄRM." Lupus clapped his hands with a gentle smile.

"Wouldn't that take a long time?" I asked.

"Yes, but the time here flows at 1/60 the pace of the time outside. So, let's get to work!" Lupus explained cheerfully.

I nodded and tried to stand up but felt myself swaying. I was steadied by an unwilling Chase and groaned as my head felt like it was splitting. Lupus concluded that I wasn't feeling all that well yet so he decided to push training to the next day and flounced off to get some food for us.

Chase grudgingly helped me to the cave and sat me down, with the wall of the cave supporting my back. He picked up some wood from a pile of firewood at a corner of the cave – which I didn't notice before – and arranged it neatly. With a simple snap of his fingers, a ghostly blue fire ate at the wood merrily. He sat a few metres away from my figure that was propped up against the cave wall, staring at the dancing blue fire. As I looked at the almost hypnotic glow of the fire, I slowly fell into a deep sleep, completely dead to the world.

* * *

I must have been more fatigued than I expected since I found myself awakening the next morning in the cave. Feeling something warm draped over me, I removed the item and found that it was a fur blanket. I stood up and looked around to find that Chase and Lupus were nowhere to be seen. Shrugging my shoulders, I stretched myself and worked all the kinks out of my back before I strolled to find a water source for me to drink and bathe from.

As I wandered, I realised that I felt absolutely great, as if nothing could get me down. I wondered if that was a side effect of unlocking my magical power but decided to think about it later when I finally came across a large, clear lake with a waterfall at one end. I tested the temperature of water and found it a little chilly but still suitable for bathing. With that, I stripped down and took a nice, cool bath.

I returned to the cave to find Chase and a cheerful Lupus who had an armful of colourful berries. Chase looked slightly relaxed when he saw me, if the slight relaxing of his tensed shoulders and his ears meant anything.

Lupus gave a polite greeting and laid out the berries. The three of us ate our breakfast before Chase and I followed Lupus to a grassy piece of land.

"Shin-sama, please try to activate the Weapon ÄRM now. You should be able to do it after unlocking your magical power. Send a small stream of magical power to activate the ÄRM." Lupus instructed.

I nodded my head in reply and tried to do as Lupus said.

"Weapon ÄRM: Tessen." I whispered under my breath.

For a moment, nothing happened. I stared at the ring in a disappointed manner and was ready to throw a tantrum in the recesses of my mind when the ring dissolved into blue particles. The particles reformed into two battle fans, one in each of my hands. The battle fans were made of a metallic substance which I wasn't sure was steel since the metal was obsidian black. The edges of the fan were razor sharp.

Chase whistled at the sight of the battle fans while Lupus nodded his head approvingly.

"Great! You managed to activate it. However, it took quite some time. You'd be dead if this was the battlefield. You'll have to keep on activating and deactivating the ÄRM until it activates and deactivates almost instantaneously." Lupus ordered.

I bit back a sigh of irritation at the new task presented. Getting the foundations steady is important or else everything would just crumble if the foundation is shaky. That doesn't mean that I have to like it though. With that, I proceeded to do said task as commanded by Lupus while Chase took a cat nap nearby. After about an hour, I finally managed to activate and deactivate Tessen almost instantaneously. The trick was to gauge the correct amount of magical power and pressure needed to be sent to the ÄRM to achieve an almost instantaneous activation and deactivation.

Lupus kindly gave me a short break after that and trotted away to do god knows what. Probably reporting to Günther, I guess. Meanwhile, I shuffled over to the still snoozing Chase and flopped down next to him. Feeling mischievous, I reached out to poke his cheek when his arm suddenly grabbed my wrist tightly.

"Darn. Foiled." I mumbled under my breath.

One of Chase's slitted eyes opened and gave me a disapproving look. I rolled my eyes and wrenched my hand out of his grip, deciding to stare at the clear blue sky instead as I waited for Lupus to come back and resume our training session.

* * *

"Sorry for taking so long! Let's start the next phase of training!" Lupus announced after disappearing for thirty long minutes.

"I didn't know we had some sort of schedule. You didn't look smart enough for that. After all, you were side-tracked by a rabbit." Chase couldn't resist making a dig at the poor canine teen.

I rolled my eyes at his surprisingly childishness and the need to poke fun at Lupus.

Lupus gave him a disdainful sniff and seemingly ignored what he said as he stalked sharply away after making an impatient gesture for Chase and I to follow him. Chase and I glanced at each other and shrugged our shoulders before trudging after the irate Guardian ÄRM.

Soon, we arrived at a rocky quarry filled with stones of all sizes. Lupus was tapping his feet impatiently, his ears folded flat against his head in annoyance. He threw up his hands when he saw us and stomped over.

"What took you guys so long? You're so slow! We're already behind time!" He practically exploded.

Chase and I cowered before the furious wolf boy, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. He wasn't a girl so it couldn't be his time of the month.

"Shin! Get over there! We're going to begin our training! Chase! Go take a nap there or something! Well, why aren't you moving?!" Lupus raged, jabbing a finger at us.

"Y-Yes, Lupus-sama!" We squeaked out in terror and scurried to obey his orders.

"Don't insult him again." I whispered to Chase just as we parted.

"Noted." Chase grimaced.

"Shin! I'll be training your awareness so dodge all the rocks I'm throwing at you! We'll do it until you can dodge a hundred rocks in a row!" Lupus declared, rocks already in his hands.

I gulped and nodded. Thus, Hell began for me. Rocks of all shapes and sizes flew at me with amazing speed and accuracy. It was hard to dodge all of them completely. At first, I got the full impact of most of the rocks. But, as time passed, my dodging rate gradually improved, with most rocks clipping me instead of hitting me head on. The fact that boulders were thrown as well probably played a part in my improved dodging rate…

* * *

What seemed to be a few million light years later, I could finally dodge the rocks with ease. Lupus seemed to have kept a record of the rocks I dodged in a row since he finally stopped and nodded his head in a satisfied manner. I flopped down onto the ground and panted hard, thanking God that the torture was finally over. I was absolutely filthy, with dust and dirt all over me, not to mention dried blood and some wounds that were still oozing with the crimson life liquid.

"Good job, Shin-sama! You've managed to do this training exercise in only four hours!" Lupus congratulated me cheerfully.

I wanted to edge away from the bipolar Guardian ÄRM but decided not to just in case it set him off into rage mode again. Now that was not something I want to experience again. Ever. Chase trotted over to me and commented on my state of cleanliness, or rather lack thereof. I smirked and jumped on him, proceeding to make him as filthy as I was. Chase gave me a scowl and growled while Lupus grinned and heaped more dirt on us.

"Hey!" Chase and I protested in unison, causing Lupus to laugh.

Glancing and nodding sneakily towards each other, we each grabbed a large handful of dirt and dumped them onto the unsuspecting Guardian ÄRM who was too busy laughing to be aware of his surroundings. His yelp was indeed, music to our ears. He pouted cutely as Chase and I high-fived each other at the job well done. With much laughter and jokes, the three of us went for a bath to clean our filthy selves and gathered some food for lunch.

"Shin-sama, I would like you to practise with your weapon ÄRM. Hunt down an animal using the ÄRM so that we can have some nice, grilled meat for lunch. Chase and I will be observing you and we will only help you if you really need it. Now off we go!" Lupus smiled and led the way into a dense forest.

* * *

"Now, there are some rather dangerous animals deep in the forest so try not to wander too deeply in, alright? I wouldn't want to have to pick up another corpse or anything." Lupus gave an angelic smile while Chase and I gulped.

'Another corpse…?' We both thought nervously.

After the kind warning from a too happy Lupus, we entered the forest. As far as we could see, there was no animal large enough for us, I mean me, to hunt for meat. The animals in the outermost area of the forest were the small ones, like squirrels or mice. We wandered deeper into the forest, light slowly bidding us farewell as the forest grew denser and denser. However we continued on, since no animal appeared.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spied something grey on a large tree that was probably at least thirty metres tall. I paused in my steps and turned to look up at the grey object but found nothing except for a few fluttering leaves.

'There's no wind so the leaves shouldn't be moving at all. Something just left, quickly at that. This might be dangerous.' I thought to myself as I narrowed my eyes.

"Hurry up! I want some lunch so let's get this over with!" Chase called out.

"Yes, Your Highness!" I yelled back sarcastically and gave another once over to the tree before running to catch up with Chase and Lupus, completely missing the glowing, acid green gaze that was fixed on myself, an unspoken hunger burning within them.


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Note: As usual, if there are any grammar errors, plot holes or any other things which you feel can be improved, feel free to drop me a PM or Review about it. Constructive criticism will be taken into consideration while flaming will be ignored and used to roast vegetables for my bunnies. Also, I try not to create Mary Sues and Gary Stus. If the (accidental) creation occurs, please inform me and I will rectify it ASAP.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

I do not own MÄR Heaven and everything in it. I only own my OCs.

Explanations regarding the accessing of magical power and the theory of it are all my own postulations.

* * *

"Geez… How much longer is this going to take?" Chase complained while I nodded in agreement, too tired to speak.

"We've only walked for twenty minutes and you're already complaining? Psh…" Lupus snorted.

"Well sorry that we're not used to walking through dense forests to look for food." Chase grumbled, folding his arms across his chest with his ears flattened onto his head.

Suddenly, Chase's and Lupus' ears twitched, possibly hearing something my puny human ears could not. They bounded towards whatever they heard and yelled at me to follow, which I did. No way was I going to get stuck in a forest and be food for a large predator.

Soon, we reached a small clearing where we saw a gory sight. There was a large boar, about twice the size of normal boars on Earth, with its entrails ripped out. Its abdomen looked like it had been slashed and torn open by powerful teeth and claws. Chase and Lupus went forward for a closer look at the innards of the boar, unbothered by the bloody sight. I hung back, knowing that I would be useless in this situation since I am not well-versed in animal anatomies and whatnot. I only knew fish anatomy since I was a part-time sushi chef after all.

"Hmm… looks only a few minutes old. The blood is still a little warm and there is no odour of decay. No flies or worms either…" Chase said aloud as he prodded at the internal organs of the boar.

"Looks like it was fighting off the predator, or at least struggling to escape; its blood is a little sweeter than usual, probably due to the release of adrenaline. The muscles are contracted too." Lupus continued.

"Um… Not to interrupt your analysis of the corpse but shouldn't we just get the meat from it and go? That'll save the effort of having to hunt. You did mention that the corpse is only a few minutes old right..? So shouldn't we leave before we end up like that 'cause it's likely that the creature that ripped it open is still hanging around..?" I said quickly and jabbed a finger at the mutilated corpse.

"But I wanted you to have to hunt, not pick up some meat from a random carcass!" Lupus whined, totally ignoring the last part of my worried statements.

"It doesn't matter if we do get the meat or not. We can hunt nearer to the outskirts of the forest. Better leave first before the creature that did this comes back. I do not want to end up like that." I countered, cringing at the sight of the boar while Chase nodded in agreement.

"Then it's fine! Let's go!" Lupus said cheerfully and bounced away.

Chase and I glanced at each other briefly before giving identical sighs of mild exasperation and proceeded to toddle along after Lupus. I turned to scan the clearing again briefly only to be scared out of my wits by a pair of glowing green eyes fixated on me in the shadows.

Now, I may be a delinquent but everyone has something they fear, no matter how ridiculous or absurd the fear may be. If you really want to know what I am absolutely terrified of, it's ghosts and supernatural events or beings, like the one staring at me right now.

I did the only sensible thing I could do then – give a manly scream of fear and perform a tactical retreat from the clearing, all of which Chase would claim false and that I gave a high-pitched shriek reminiscent of a female murder victim and ran as fast as I could, hollering all the way instead.

* * *

Soon, I was at the outskirts of the forest, Chase and Lupus staring at me bemusedly.

"What!" I stated defensively, folding my arms across my chest as I glared at them.

"Oh nothing, just th- what the hell is behind you!" Chase gave a look of fear while Lupus trembled beside him.

"Gah!" I gave another manly scream and dove behind the two anthros before deciding to peek at what they looked afraid of.

"What the… There's nothing there!" I frowned indignantly.

"You should have seen the look on your face!" Chase snickered while Lupus broke into peals of laughter.

"Why you..!" I got ready to give them a good hard bashing, making a show of rolling up my non-existent sleeves

They both stopped laughing abruptly and turned paler than chalk.

"What now?" I grumbled exasperatedly.

"Um… You might want to get out of that spot, like now." Lupus stammered.

"What? Something behind me again? I won't fall for your tricks this time round!" I gave a superior smirk as I nodded my head confidently.

"Oh, really?" A deep baritone growled out.

I froze in absolute terror as I felt the warm breath of the creature behind me puffing into my ears gently. I turned around stiffly and was greeted by the sight of a greyish translucent being with those acid green eyes boring into me as if attempting to stare into my soul. After that brief glimpse, I gave a nervous laugh before fainting dead away.

* * *

When I finally came to, I blinked blearily before rubbing my eyes tiredly. Looking around where I was situated, I saw that I was in a grassy clearing, clearly out of the forest, with a small spread of food in front of me. With my stomach practically roaring in its desperate need for sustenance, I hunkered down and proceeded to decimate the food in front of my eyes with great gusto.

"Your appetite is certainly good." A voice commented cheerily.

I whipped around to see a young girl about the age of seven with fiery red hair donning a crimson kimono staring at me curiously. She giggled at my lost look before bounding over to me and that was when I noticed the three fox tails attached to her, swaying like banners in the presence of wind.

"K-Kitsune!" I whispered in shock.

The girl backpedalled immediately.

"Darn! How did you know?" She questioned me with a pout.

I pointed to the tails that were bristled in irritation, showing the ire of the girl. She turned before groaning.

"Not again! It's always the tails!" She despaired.

Suddenly I noticed a pair of very familiar acid green eyes that the girl had. Quickly piecing things together, I deduced that she was that apparition that scared the living daylights out of me in the forest.

"So it was you that scared me!" I accused, affronted.

"Ah ha… About that…" The Kitsune giggled nervously, scratching her cheek.

She then proceeded to widen her eyes and make her lip tremble, a look that I would recognise anywhere, anytime.

"Oh no, you don't. That look won't work on me! I'm going to give you a good spanking for playing a trick on me!" I advanced towards the fox, determined to dish out punishment.

She squealed and shrieked before dashing away from me, leading to a merry chase around the clearing. Being absorbed in the chase, I did not notice the extended foot stuck out until the last minute and tripped over said extended limb.

Luckily, I still had enough brains in me to extend my arms in front of me and perform a handspring to avoid embarrassing myself further than I already had.

"What was that for?" I spun around to face the owner of the leg.

"As amusing as it was to see you chase around a child half your size, it's time to start training again." Lupus gave a grin that sent shivers up my spine.

"Hey!" A loud protest was heard.

I turned around – how many times do I have to turn around to see what's behind me today? – to see that Chase had caught the girl by the back of her kimono and had her dangling in the air with his extended arm.

Chase gives a toothy grin that's full of mischief.

"Well, looks like I caught dinner. Looks plump and delicious enough. She'll definitely taste good grilled." He teased as he poked and prodded the puffy cheeks of the young kit.

The look of abject horror plastered on the face of the girl made Lupus and I laugh madly, our attempts to stifle them definitely half-hearted.

Momentarily, I felt stunned at how much I had mellowed out after leaving my original world. If someone pranked me, they got punched. If someone tripped me, they also got punched. But now, I felt comfortable enough with them to let go of my tough exterior and let my true self burst out. Not even Ginta was able to do that. If I were to be honest with myself, I felt some sort of distance between us, as if the fragile friendship between us would be broken if I were to be myself.

Before I noticed anything, my head jerked forward harshly from a blow that came from the back. I scowled as I rubbed at that sore spot, grumbling about attention-seeking dogs and cats, which in turn caused exaggerated gasps of mock hurt to arise from both Chase and Lupus.

"Attention-seeking he says!" Lupus had a hand over his mouth in shock.

"Why I never!" Chase intoned in agreement, his free hand not holding onto a fox kit positioned firmly on his hip.

"You guys are weird." The little fox girl commented.

The three of us rounded upon her with feigned expressions of anger, causing her to squeak.

"I think the little kit needs to be punished." I suggested.

"Oh, yes." Chase gave a smile that was all teeth.

"Thirded." Lupus grinned.

With that, I surged forward to the girl's vulnerable sides and proceeded to tickle her mercilessly. Chase and Lupus joined in with equal fervour a scant few seconds later, all three of us tickling the youngling into submission.

"Oh, Inari! I can't breathe!" She managed to stutter out amidst her wild laughter.

"Surrender!" Lupus ordered dramatically.

"I give! I give!" She managed to wheeze out.

The three of us stopped our tickling session with admitted reluctance, staring at the now panting girl in amusement.

"You're weird people, but nice all the same." She commented after she finally caught her breath a few minutes later.

"Why thank you, Milady." I gave a deep bow.

"I'm not Milady, my name's Ren." She pouted.

There was a pointed silence after that, the three of us shuffling about, not knowing what to say next. I have a feeling that the other two aren't good with kids as well, except for during playtime.

"Well, what are your names?" Ren cocked her head to one side, staring at us with those green, green eyes.

"I'm Shin." I offered.

"Chase."

"Lupus here!"

Another bout of awkward silence descended.

"Hey, aren't we going to start training?" I asked.

"We are. Now we're going to do a mini challenge! We have to relocate though, 'cause it'll get messy." Lupus explained.

"Ooh! Can I come?" Ren asked excitedly.

"Won't your family worry?" I questioned with a concerned frown.

"Silly Shin! I don't have a family." She gave a small sad smile.

The three of us glanced at each other, slightly taken aback.

"Well, I don't see why not then." Chase broke the tense silence.

"Yay!" She whooped and pounced onto the nekomata.

"Hey! Easy with the nails!" Chase yelped.

Lupus and I chortled while Ren squealed happily on her new perch – Chase's back and shoulders.

"Well, we best be off before we lose any more daylight!" Lupus announced and led us to our destination.

* * *

Two hours later, Chase, Ren and I were bored out of our skulls while Lupus whistled cheerfully.

"Are we there yet?" Chase asked.

"Nope." Lupus replied cheerfully.

"Are we there yet?" Ren asked with a bored yawn ten minutes later.

"No." Lupus gave a slightly strained smile.

"Are we there yet?" I asked as I placed my hands behind my head and looked at the sky another ten minutes later.

"Not yet." Lupus croaked out, sounding very strained.

"Are we- " The three of us began in unison yet another ten minutes later.

"NO, NO, NO! WE ARE NOT- Wait a minute… Yes, we are." Lupus exploded before cutting himself off with a sigh.

I turned to scan my surroundings.

We were currently in a place with stone flooring that had some arches and pillars littered here and there, some broken and some fully intact. There were some steps and a large doorway that was sealed by stone filled with some ancient runic script that I didn't even bother to attempt to read and understand.

"Alright. This will be a combat challenge! I'll raise some stone giants and the one who defeats them the fastest will get the best cut of meat for dinner! The slowest one will have to go hunt!" Lupus snapped his fingers.

Almost at once, stone giants about twice the size of Chase appeared, lumbering about and groaning.

"I'll go first. Time for you guys to know about my awesome combat abilities. " Chase stated with a smirk as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles.

"Eh, good luck." I called out.

"I'll do the timing!" Ren volunteered.

"Right then, begin!" Lupus clapped his hands once more.

The stone giants immediately rushed for Chase with surprising agility and speed. Chase dodged all of them with an arrogant snort before shifting into his demon form, the large nekomata that appeared  
in the village. With a loud roar, he easily batted away three giants with a paw and the use of his tails. He breathed out a ghostly blue fire at another two, incinerating the rock giants. With the last remaining giant, he simply stomped onto it, crushing it easily. With that, he shifted back and turned to give us a smug grin.

"How's that?" He asked as he strutted back.

"That was… around four minutes." Ren said, unimpressed.

"Bullshit! It was at most three!" Chase argued.

"Nope! You took your own sweet time to shift and crush them into pieces 'cause you were trying to show off!"

"Right… I'll go next then?" I stated before sauntering off, ignoring the argument between the fox and the cat.

"Alright!" Lupus snapped his fingers and six rock giants appeared again.

"Begin!" He clapped his hands.

I summoned Tessen just about instantaneously as the giants charged at me recklessly. Grinning, I started to hack at slash at the only weaknesses of the giants, their joints. It was the easiest way to defeat them since it would render them into piles of rubble almost immediately. Plus it only took me a few seconds to hack off a limb of one giant.

After dodging a few blows here and there and landing mid-air strikes via various flips and handsprings, I had successfully rendered three giants into rubble. For the remaining ones, it was naught but child's play to dismember them since I had gotten used to the speed and movement of the giants after the first three.

When all six giants were naught but pieces of stone, I turned around to see two males with wide eyes while Ren cheered.

"Shin took only three and a half minutes." Ren grinned before launching at me for a hug.

I managed to return Tessen to its ring form fast enough for me to catch Ren, heaving a sigh of internal relief as I did so.

"Hmph. So much for your superior combat ability." I smirked at Chase, who was staring at me wide-eyed.

Looking closely, I saw a suspiciously pink stripe across his cheeks that one would not notice unless they were observant or staring at Chase extremely closely. When I turned to face Lupus, he had the exact same thing.

"Are you guys feeling hot or something? You're blushing slightly." I asked curiously.

That seemed to snap them out of their daze before they laughed nervously.

"Ahaha… It's nothing. I'll go next." Lupus mumbled before summoning more rock giants.

He started the challenge immediately, transforming into a large wolf that made Ren cower in my arms slightly. He had some trouble dealing with the giants at first but managed to finish them off smoothly a few minutes later. Lupus proceeded to shift back after that, slightly winded as he walked back towards us.

"That was… woefully lacking." Chase commented.

"Oh shut up. I was still distracted by-" Lupus grumbled before cutting himself off.

"By?" Chase egged him on with a smirk.

"Nothing." Lupus growled.

"My turn! My turn!" Ren squirmed enthusiastically.

"Seriously?" Chase raised a pale eyebrow.

"Eh, I ain't stopping her." Lupus shrugged and snapped his fingers.

The stone giants appeared again and Ren scampered out of my grip to battle with the giants.

Lupus clapped his hands and the challenge began.

In a startling move, Ren shifted into a fox that was at least three-storeys tall and opened her maw.

"Kitsune-bi!" She growled.

A sea of purple flames exited her mouth and engulfed the stone giants, leaving nothing but ashes. Ren then shifted back to her human form and padded up to us – we were frozen from shock – with a wide smile that almost split her face in half.

"I guess I'll get the best cut of the meat!" She said smugly.

"Congratulations..?" I managed to scrape the words from my throat.

"So Lupus will go hunting then!" Ren gave an angelic smile.

"So it seems…" He mumbled, looking a little put out.

"We can go together if you want?" I offered.

"No, I don't need any help." He shook his head and shot off to find some animal to hunt.

"Well, what crawled up his ass?" I wondered out loud.

Chase gave me an amused look and opened his mouth to say something but shut it again abruptly. He shook his head before plonking himself onto the group and staring at the sun that was setting.

"Well that doesn't answer my question." I grumbled before sitting down next to him.

"It wasn't supposed to." He replied simply.

"You two are being boring." Ren pouted at us cutely.

"There's nothing to do." Chase and I replied boredly in unison.

"Let's go exploring then! Where is your sense of adventure?" She cried out.

Chase and I shared a glance before staring at the little kit.

"Non-existent." We smirked.

She gave a frustrated grunt and scowled at us, looking anything but fierce or angry.

"Storytelling then?" She begged.

"I don't see why not. I'll tell you about the world I came from then." I patted her head fondly.

"The world you came from..? Aren't you from MÄR?" Said youngling tilted her head to one side, confused.

"Nope. I came from another world called Earth." I explained.

"So… You don't use magical energy?" Chase asked.

"No. I had never even heard of that in my world. But it does exist as fiction in various literature pieces."

"I cannot comprehend how you survived without it." He commented, slightly astonished.

"Well, we run things on an energy source called electricity which can be from quite a few sources. Even water and wind can be used to produce electricity. Electricity can be used to create weapons, entertainment and communication." I elaborated.

"That sounds cool!" Ren's eyes were wide in amazement.

"Some of the sources we use to get electricity damage the environment extensively. And through the use of the various weapons we create, we cause a lot of death and destruction." I grimaced.

"Huh… I don't see how puny weapons like those could cause so much harm." Chase scoffed.

"Oh, really? We have weapons that can shoot pieces of metal called bullets with high velocity and speed. A full grown adult can be pumped full of lead and die within a few seconds. The weapons that shoot metal are called guns and we have further classification for guns. That's only the tip of the iceberg. We also have weapons we call nuclear bombs that can wipe out a continent and that only requires one bomb to do so. The bombs also cause harmful mutations and diseases to emerge in the surviving populace in the area through radiation and that can affect the population even after four generations." I explained patiently.

"You have got to be joking." Chase was wide-eyed and his jaw was hanging open.

"No, I am not. I've seen the side effects and it definitely isn't pretty. It pains me to see the children affected by these side-effects that were caused by something decades ago. It's not something you forget that easily." I winced as I remembered the horror stories about the victims of the Vietnam War as well as the atomic bombs that went off in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War. The pictures certainly didn't help.

"That sounds horrible." Ren looked afraid, her ears flattened against her head and her tails limp.

"It is horrible. However, electricity does have its good uses as well. We have something called a phone that helps in long distance communication. We can contact another person in a totally different continent and country."

"Well, that sounds useless." Chase, ever the person to look down on things, commented.

"It can save your life if you're in danger. Let's say you have fallen off a cliff and are badly injured yet still able to move your arm and speak. You could call for help and survive the incident, provided the emergency services reach in time of course." I felt chagrined on behalf of my home world.

"Psh. In MÄR, you can just teleport if you have dimensional ÄRM. That way, you won't even fall off a cliff. Plus you can communicate through dimensional ÄRMs anyway." Chase snorted.

"You have a point there." I conceded unwillingly.

Before Chase could open his mouth and say something smug, an animal carcass was dropped in front of us with a loud thump.

"Welcome back, Lupus." I gave a smile.

"T-Thanks. Here's the animal I hunted. Its meat is edible and quite tasty grilled." He smiled back tentatively.

"Let's get to work then! I want my meat!" Ren whined.

Chase got the job of searching for firewood next while I got the job of butchering the animal. It looked kind of like a dinosaur. How interesting… I set about cutting the animal apart with a sharp piece of rock found by the helpful Ren and cubed the meat into equal chunks. A few minutes later, Chase came back with some sticks and dry grass for kindling and set up a merry fire. Thankfully, he had the foresight of bring some sticks to spear the meat for grilling.

"So how's the rest of MÄR like?" I asked.

"Horrible. The Chess Pieces have started to move and are most likely going to attack several kingdoms blitzkrieg style. Some smaller towns have already fallen." Chase grimaced.

"Who are the Chess Pieces?" I risked sounding stupid but knowledge is more important.

"How the hell- Oh wait, sorry. I forgot that you're not from MÄR. They are basically an organisation that is bent on taking over MÄR Heaven through destructive ways by felling kingdoms in savage ways. And to show off their own superiority, they conduct the War Games that gives the people of MÄR a chance to band together to defeat the Chess at their own game. The last War Game occurred about six years ago and the Chess Pieces were beaten at their own game, the war being won against the leader of the Chess Pieces, Phantom, by a man named Danna." Chase explained.

Well, there goes the train of thought of school yard bullies.

"Meat's done." Ren chirped, breaking the tense silence between us.

We wolfed down the food with gusto, while Ren enjoyed hers slowly since we gave her the meat that was the most tender and juicy. Half an hour after the meal, Lupus decided to give me one last training exercise for the day.

"Do you see that gate there with all the writings? That's the Unbreakable Gate, your last training segment for today. The gate will not break no matter how strong your attack unless you hit its inherent weak spot, which you will be able to spot if you fully synchronise with your ÄRM and utilise your sixth sense." Lupus instructed.

I walked over to the gate and summoned Tessen easily. I closed my eyes and concentrated calmly, the background noises slowly fading away as I did so. I breathed in and out deeply, readying Tessen as I willed my mind and soul to accept Tessen as an extension of my own body, coaxing the ÄRM to form a bond with me as if I was coaxing a small kitten to approach me. The bond between us came surprisingly quickly and when I opened my eyes, I instantly spotted the weak spot. I crossed my arms and slashed at said spot, causing the large gate to crumble almost immediately.

I turned around to spot two jaws hanging open again while Ren cheered wildly.

"How's that?" I smirked cockily.

My sixth sense was quite developed, thanks to my frequent fighting with others. With the addition of the dodging training with Lupus, it developed even further.

Their jaws flapped in the air for a moment before they composed themselves.

"I suppose it was fairly impressive." Chase finally said after a few minutes while Lupus mumbled about reporting to Günther and how he was going to be so angry.

I yawned and stretched and soon, Ren started to yawn as well.

"Well, I think it's time to sleep." I mumbled before walking away from the gate and plopping down near the fire.

Ren scampered over and joined me, along with Chase who settled by my side. Lupus hurried off to report to Günther. The last thing I remembered before falling asleep was the comforting warmth of the fire and bodies around me.


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Note: As usual, if there are any grammar errors, plot holes or any other things which you feel can be improved, feel free to drop me a PM or Review about it. Constructive criticism will be taken into consideration while flaming will be ignored and used to roast vegetables for my bunnies. Also, I try not to create Mary Sues and Gary Stus. If the (accidental) creation occurs, please inform me and I will rectify it ASAP.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

I do not own MÄR Heaven and everything in it, as well as a certain line I ripped off from Gandalf from The Hobbit. I only own my OCs.

Explanations regarding the accessing of magical power and the theory of it are all my own postulations.

* * *

I awoke blearily to being spooned by warm bodies, one on each of my side. As my mind took its own sweet time to boot up and sharpen, I reluctantly cracked open one of my eyes to see the source of my warmth. Curled up in my arms was little Ren, cuddling into my chest while an arm draped over my torso told me that Chase was the one cuddled to my back.

Unwillingly, I extricated myself from their grasp and trotted away to wash my clothes and have a nice morning bath. An hour later, I put on my dry clothing and sauntered back to our camping spot, eager for breakfast.

Breakfast turned out to be lovely, with some eggs procured from god knows where and a nice side of berries; all gathered and cooked by Chase and Ren. Ren puffed up with pride when I complimented the meal while Chase simply gave a cool smirk and raised an eyebrow.

Shortly after the meal, Lupus appeared in the middle of the camp with one of his fists tightly clenched.

"So what's the schedule for today?" I asked after all the pleasantries of greeting and whatnot were over.

"Today, Günther-sama has given me magic stones for you to attach to Tessen. You are to boost Tessen's abilities by creating complimentary abilities." Lupus explained as he handed over three magical stones.

"What are the abilities of Tessen without these magical stones?" Ren decided to ask the question I'd been wanting to ask.

"Tessen can enlarge and shrink at will though its weight will not change. It can be combined into a single fan if required." Lupus elaborated.

"Can it be used as transport? I am thinking of combining Tessen before enlarging the fan to a very large size and levitating it." I questioned, inspired by Temari from Naruto.

"That would be possible in theory. Why don't you try?" Chase suggested.

I summoned Tessen and willed it to combine and enlarge, which it did so quickly. It grew to a size of at least a metre and a half in diameter – from one end of the fan to the other horizontally – before I commanded it to stop while noting the magical power needed. I pushed magical power into the fan as I hopped onto it and managed a surprisingly stable landing with the fan levitating about three inches off the ground.

"Well, it certainly works." I remarked.

"Try moving it from here to that pillar over there." Lupus pointed to a pillar about fifty metres away.

I did as he instructed. It was a slow start but after getting a hang of it, I was able to move quickly to my destination before returning back to the starting point without wasting much magical energy.

"Looks like a good mode of transport. You just need more time to practice and control the fan's speed and height." Chase gave his stamp of approval.

"Can I ride on it when you master that? Please?" Ren gave me her puppy dog eyes.

"I don't see why not. It will be good practice for Shin. Now that we've discovered another use of Tessen, why don't you continue the process of adding to Tessen's abilities?" Lupus cut in.

I shrugged my shoulders and added the magical stones into a small indented slot on Tessen and quickly input my ideas in since I've already thought of them when Lupus displayed the magical stones in his palm.

"Let's see the three different abilities then." Chase urged me, an excited gleam in his eyes.

"Just stand aside. I don't want to slice anyone into pieces, yet." I said with a toothy grin.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. I doubt it be anything that good." Chase snorted though the sparkle in his eyes said otherwise.

I had to hold Tessen with two hands – since it was so large – and gave a mighty swing as I pumped magical power into the giant battle fan. The results were almost immediate. A large gust of wind was generated and once it reached the innocent stone pillars grouped together just a few feet away, the pillars became chunks of stone within ten seconds.

I closed Tessen and turn towards Chase and Lupus – who were surprised by the extent of the damage – and an excited Ren.

"This is version one. I wanted to be able to create blades of wind and tornadoes and the like by pumping in magical power. Of course, the strength and size are all affected by the amount of magical power I put into Tessen while the type of wind generated will be affected by how I swing Tessen." I explained patiently.

"Good. Now you'll also have a long ranged attack that is powerful yet easily controlled." Lupus voiced his opinion.

"I think you'll need to learn how to swing that fan properly at different sizes in order to know how to create different wind currents suited for battle first. That'd be hard since not many people use fans as a weapon." Chase mused.

"I know how!" Ren piped up cheerfully.

The three of us did a double take at that.

"What? I am three hundred years old." Ren looked at us as if we had three heads and five limbs.

I gave a nervous laugh equivalent to a mental breakdown while Chase seemed to have entered a state of comatose. Lupus had collapsed onto the ground in his shock.

"Sorry. I kind of forgot about that with your appearance." I managed to choke out.

"Hmph. This is my natural appearance. I'll only hit my growth spurt at my next tail." Ren crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air, her three tails bristling behind her.

"Right… Since they're still practically catatonic, why don't we just practice using Tessen as a transportation device?" I suggested, attempting to appease the sulky Kitsune.

Her eyes lit up at that and she raced to my side within a nanosecond at most. The next two hours were spent tuning the control I had over Tessen and finding out the estimated distance I could ride Tessen for before having only half my magical power left. The distance turned out to be surprisingly vast, about one hundred kilometres. The maximum weight I could hold before feeling strained would be around ninety-five kilograms, basically Ren and I plus some heavy rocks.

* * *

For the next hour and a half, Ren taught me the various movements required to generate different wind currents, all with devastating results. It was rather fun, to be honest and Ren was a very good teacher.

"So you just twist your wrist like so…" She instructed as she twisted her own wrist as an example.

"Uh huh…" I tried my best to copy her movements.

"Yes, yes. Exactly like that." Ren nodded her head approvingly.

"Ugh… What hit me…?" Chase groaned as he emerged from his state of catatonia. "I could've sworn I heard Ren say that she was three hundred years old…"

"That's exactly what you heard. She is three hundred years old." I kindly informed the Nekomata.

"WHAT?! She can't be older than me!" Chase's eyes almost bulged out. "I mean, I'm two hundred and then some and I look like this but she looks like a kid!"

"Hey! Watch it! We just have different growth speeds alright?!" Ren interjected, clearly unhappy with the comment about her looks.

"This is giving me a headache…" The two-tailed cat demon groaned, clutching his head.

"Then don't think about it." Lupus made his grand reappearance. "Just treat her like you do normally."

Chase was about to protest so I decided to cut in and end the silly debacle.

"Whatever it is, I've almost finished with training with my first ability, no thanks to you guys." I rolled my eyes at said males. "What should we do next?"

"Lunch… I'm hungry…" Ren whimpered and clutched her stomach.

As if on cue, the rest of our stomachs growled loudly in unison.

"Well, that settles it. Whose turn to go hunting?" Lupus asked.

"Eh, Jan-Ken-Pon?" I suggested as I stretched.

"You're on!" Chase declared.

The four of us gathered in a circle and commenced our game. It lasted several rounds and five minutes later, it was finally settled.

"Bah! Why is it me?" Chase stared at his hand, his eye twitching madly.

"Your own fault for choosing scissors!" Ren cackled. "Now go forth and fetch our food!"

* * *

The next six months – it's a hundred and eighty days in there after all – went by like that, each day occupied with training, hunting, building magical power, and most of all, bonding with my comrades. It was sad to have to say goodbye to Lupus but it was an enlightening experience that I've never had before since the amount of friends I had before could only be counted with one hand. I was really glad that I chose to come to this world but when times are smooth sailing, there are bound to be stormy seas after that.

A week and three days after I had emerged from the training gate – We got pretty strong quickly thanks to the almost insane challenges Günther likes to throw at us – disaster, or rather, the Chess Pieces struck. I was sent out on an errand by Günther that day, to fetch some strange herbs he wanted for god knows what reason. On hindsight, I should have realised that he wanted to send me away to keep me safe from the raid by the Chess Pieces.

I sensed that something was wrong the moment I saw smoke and both Chase and Ren looked worried and urged me to head back to the village as quickly as I could, which I did so anxiously. But by the time I had reached my new home, the flames had devoured most of the buildings, land and people. I rushed and put out the largest fires with my battle fan but it was for naught as almost everything had burnt down to charcoal or ashes.

I headed for Günther's place as fast as I could, hoping against hope that my surrogate brother slash father would be alright. My heart sank when I saw that the house had already collapsed onto itself. Not willing to give up hope just yet – I am quite stubborn – I dug through the large pieces of wood and stone, flinging them away easily with my superior strength.

Imagine my joy when I found Günther who was still alive, though badly injured. I stumbled over quickly to him, ignoring the obstacles in my way until I was kneeling down in front of the man who had trained and doted on me – in his own eccentric way – the man who trusted me and gave me all that I had now. The man who was now broken, physically but not mentally.

"Old man! You're going to be okay! I'm going to get you out of here and find a medic." I dug at a piece of heavy wood – even for me – that was pining him down.

"Still as stupid as ever. Even a moron knows that I'm about to die." Günther huffed. "These few days have been fun, no matter how short they have been."

"You'll live! You've got to! You can't die!" Tears started to blur my sight as I scrabbled to get the man I saw as a parent out from his predicament.

Günther must have sensed my desperation for he used some of his remaining strength to pat my head and ruffle my hair gently.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine without me. You still have that grumpy cat and the silly little fox with you." He managed to wheeze out. "It seems time is running out for me…"

"No! You can't leave!" Tears rolled down my cheeks in my grief. "I'll kill those Chess bastards for doing this! I'll get revenge for you!"

"Stop that nonsense at once. You know that revenge will get you nowhere. It will only beget more and more hatred." The only man I could call father scolded me. "Not all Chess Pieces are evil. There are some that have been forced to join, either by blackmail or for their own safety. Did you ever think that some have joined to keep their family safe? There are also people who have been disillusioned by the world they live in, like you have for your own. Don't tell me you don't know what it feels like. You of all people should know how painful it is. So, don't kill anyone of them. Besides, true courage is about knowing not when to take a life but to spare one."

He began to cough harshly, blood dripping down from his lips. I immediately knew that even if I prayed for a miracle, it would be hopeless. Günther was dying. I could not deny that fact any more, no matter how much I wanted to. More tears flow down my cheeks as I clutched the man tightly.

"I want you to live a fulfilling life, not a life filled with hatred. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for me." The man smiled at me weakly. "Although I've never said it, I see you as my own son. I want you to be happy, to be free, not trapped in the past by this old man here."

"I-I… I'll do my best for you. I'll make sure that I live happily and I swear that I won't be tied down by revenge." I promised.

"That's...good…Shin…" His words were getting slower and weaker. "The last…thing I want to see…before I leave…is to see you smile…"

I sobbed harder but sucked it up and gave the man I loved as my father the biggest and brightest smile I could ever do. Günther returned my smile with a warm and gentle one and pressed a something into my palm with his shaking hand.

"Remember… You are never…alone…I will watch over…you…always…This ring…is an ÄRM from…my past…It allows you…to…travel all over…MÄR Heaven…" He gasped out, forcing more strength from the last dregs he had. "I…love you…son…"

"I love you too… Günther tou-san." I somehow managed to choke out.

Günther gave me a bright smile before his eyes fluttered close and his body went limp. That was the moment I knew would be coming, no matter how much I prayed against it. A wounded howl was torn out of my throat, able to be heard from miles around. It spoke of many things, held many emotions, most prominently anguish and pain.

* * *

I clung to the corpse of Günther, unwilling to let go. Someone nudged me from behind and I turned around, ready to lash out at whoever had dared disturbed me in my time of tribulation, only to see the concerned gazes and sorrowful expressions of Chase and Ren.

"Let's bury Günther. It's time for him to rest in peace." Ren stared at Günther with teary eyes, unable to believe that the usually energetic man was gone.

"I-I…" I struggled with letting go.

"Are you going to break your promise to him not even a few minutes after he left? Do you have such little respect for that man?" Chase growled at me and even he, the self-proclaimed hater of the man who had taken me in had some tears in his eyes.

I knew that he was trying to provoke me to let go of Günther, to just move on, but I simply couldn't bring myself to respond.

"Please, Shin, just let him rest." Ren pleaded. "We also need to help the other villagers."

I shook my head vehemently and clung tighter to the corpse.

"Let him go, you selfish little shit!" Chase raised his hand and gave me a harsh slap across my cheek. "Do you think he wants to see you like this? A pathetic wimp who can't even keep his promise? You don't deserve him if you can't even gather the strength to stand up and face reality."

"Chase! Don't be so severe with him! He-" Ren protested immediately.

"I don't want any excuses." The Nekomata replied coldly. "Does he think that he's the only one grieving? That only he has experienced this? It's time to grow up and move on!"

Ren visibly wilted at that. Not even she could refute his point. In fact, she was even more experienced in that aspect than Chase since she had lived longer than him. That was when I realised I was too self-centred and weak. Chase and Ren must have gone through many deaths of their human friends since it was inevitable that demons had a longer lifespan than humans.

I was still too naïve, too narrow-minded, too many negative things. What had Günther taught me and told me to do just minutes ago? He wanted me to move on, to live my life. Yet here I was, clinging to him like a baby less than a few minutes after he left, after he went to a better place where there was no strife, no hunger, no sadness and no hate. He deserved that much after all, to be able to enjoy his afterlife.

With my mind made up and my resolve strengthened, I slipped on the ÄRM that Günther had given me and gathered the remaining strength I had and turned towards my dear friends, steely determination glinting brightly in my cerulean blue eyes. I would not shrink back and run away, I would face reality head on, like Günther did.

"I'm sorry for how I behaved just now… I did not think of anyone but myself." I bowed deeply.

"Oh, Shin!" Ren toddled up and gave me a hug, despite her head barely reaching my navel. "We forgive you. We know how it feels like too…"

"Hmph. Just don't be such a wimp again or I'll definitely hit you harder than I did just now!" Chase held up a clenched fist and waved it threateningly at me before his eyes softened. "You do know that if you ever need help or a listening ear, the two of us would gladly help right?"

"Thanks, guys. I don't know what I did to deserve you." I gave them a watery smile.

"Glad you finally realise our extraordinary worth." Chase rolled his eyes.

"Let's bury the villagers and clean up the place." Ren said quietly. "I'm sure they want this place to remain respectable and beautiful."

Chase and I nodded our heads solemnly and got to work. Chase scouted for land good for burying the dead and trees to make coffins while Ren and I cleaned up the area. After that, we worked on burying the deceased villagers who had kindly housed us despite us being strangers, even if they were wary and a little cold at first.

The last one to be buried was Günther. He looked very peaceful after we cleaned him up. Chase and I gently placed him into the coffin that we had carved for him specifically. We set the coffin into the trench we dug and muttered prayers, well wishes and thanks to the man who had strengthened us and gave us resolve to move on.

"Thank you for everything, tou-san." I stared at my father longingly before shaking my head and covering the coffin with its lid.

The three of us heaped dirt onto the coffin, burying the box and its contents for many years to come. We prayed for the entire village again before returning to the clean-up. By the time all the debris had been cleared, it was already late at night. We shuffled to a piece of grassland and flopped down tiredly, snuggling together closely and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next day went by with us planting flowers near the gravestones of the villagers with the help of the forest animals, whom Ren and Chase could apparently communicate with. There was even a nature spirit that gave us pointers and helped us to choose healthy flowers that would grow well. We rested and had our lunches before planting trees on the soil where the village once stood. With the help of the nature spirit and our magical energy, we were able to accelerate the growth of the tree saplings very quickly. About a quarter of the village was covered with lush trees before we grew tired and had to retire for the day.

The following day was also dedicated to tree planting and by the time night fell, a large forest dominated the area where a lively village was present just a few days ago. However, that night, we did not have much sleep for the full moon had suddenly turned into something akin to a mirror. As we stared in wonder, a shadow appeared and the man who cast it was revealed. He was pale with a black pointed hat and long straight hair the shade of khaki.

"All beings of MÄR Heaven, we, the Chess Pieces, embrace all hostility and call all who wish to rebel." The man announced before giving a bloodthirsty grin. "You are all invited to the beginning of the War Games! The location will be Reginlief Castle in central MÄR Heaven. We have taken control of this castle to allow for a suitable meeting place."

There was a dramatic pause after that.

"The grudge made six years ago… We have yet to forget it! If you fail to gather before us, all of MÄR Heaven will be burned to the ground! I look forward to seeing all of you there, especially…" The man gave another melodramatic pause. "Phantom's ÄRM who has betrayed the Chess, Babbo, and the boy who wields him. The time is noon on the day after tomorrow. We'll be waiting eagerly."

The man ended his speech with a rather overrated evil laugh and faded away from the moon. Our eyes were wide thanks to this announcement and we glanced as other as the moon returned to its normal appearance.

"Do you think we should go?" I asked the two hesitantly.

"I think we should…" Ren stated her opinion quietly. "How are you supposed to live happily with the Chess Pieces wreaking havoc in MÄR Heaven?"

"Besides, I would like to sink my teeth and claws onto those people who just razed the village to the ground." Chase snarled, showing his sharp fangs to the world. "Even though that old man said not to pursue revenge, I won't be satisfied until they pay."

"There is no need to kill them, Chase. That's what Günther would have wanted." I replied softly. "We just have to make sure that the Chess lose the War Games just like six years ago and I believe that would appease him."

Chase sulked but grudgingly admitted that I had a good point.

"So we are going to participate in the War Games?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"No, we're not." Ren declared suddenly.

"We're not?!" Chase and I exclaimed in shock.

"Well, Chase and I aren't. You are." She pinned me down with her green, green eyes. "We are technically not involved in this since we are demons and we don't really care about MÄR Heaven since we can always go back to Makai, the demon world. However, since you are our friend, we are willing to aid you, but not fight as an individual. We would be something akin to a Guardian ÄRM, without the drawbacks of being unable to move of course. However, we will siphon your magical energy from you as payment for our help as well."

I mulled over her words, pacing around as I did so. Would I be alright if Chase and Ren didn't help me? A second later, I wanted to slap myself in stupidity. I would be fine as long as I had my friends with me. Even if they didn't fight, I'm fine fighting as long as my friends remain by my side as my pillars of strength. It was also my battle since I was the one who had the strongest ties to Günther.

"I think I'm going stupid from staying around Chase to long." I joked, causing Ren to raise an eyebrow and Chase to sulk at me. "I don't even know why I have to consider it. Of course, I'm going to participate. You guys shouldn't even have to fight. It is my battle since Günther is my father, or at least the closest thing to one."

"Alright, then let's get ready to go tomorrow. We have done all we can for the village anyway." Chase shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Great! Let's head to bed and then plan out tomorrow." I nodded my head, satisfied and the three of us headed back to the meadow to rest, anticipating what the next day would bring.


	6. Chapter 5

Author's Note: As usual, if there are any grammar errors, plot holes or any other things which you feel can be improved, feel free to drop me a PM or Review about it. Constructive criticism will be taken into consideration while flaming will be ignored and used to roast vegetables for my bunnies. Also, I try not to create Mary Sues and Gary Stus. If the (accidental) creation occurs, please inform me and I will rectify it ASAP.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

I do not own MÄR Heaven and everything in it. I only own my OCs.

Explanations regarding the accessing of magical power and the theory of it are all my own postulations.

* * *

The three of us awoke bright and early the next morning, discussing on what we should prepare for our trip and the War Games.

"A cloak would be nice. Who knows what type of extreme conditions they will make you face." Ren hummed thoughtfully. "It can also help to hide your identity, if you feel the need for it."

"Why not." I shrugged my shoulders. "I think I should get another ÄRM or something… Just wielding one ÄRM seems quite foolish."

"Agreed. We should head on to a town nearer to Reginrave Castle and check out any rumours about ÄRMs or something, though I doubt that there'd be any since the Chess took over the area." Chase muttered, his eyebrows creased in a frown.

"Let's start by going to the next village to purchase a cloak and a map of MÄR Heaven first." Ren suggested. "Wouldn't want to get lost now, would we?"

With that, the three of us headed to the neighbouring village that was about thrice the size of the village we stayed at. It was more of a town than a village, actually. We reached within seconds thanks to the ÄRM Günther gave me, the Andarta ring. It's a very useful Dimensional ÄRM that teleports users to places where the owner of the ÄRM has been to, which in Günther's case, is everywhere according to him.

We managed to procure a nice tan cloak that covered most of my face – showing only the tip of my nose till my jaw – and the top half of my body, leaving everything from the navel and below exposed. It's assured by the merchant to be durable since the fibres had been channelled with magical energy during its production and it can block out the heat and cold, depending on the weather conditions. The three of us were sceptical but decided to trust the merchant anyway. Besides, the cloak was very comfortable, especially for Chase and Ren who had transformed into their animal selves to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

Where we got the money you ask?

Well, Ren had to sacrifice a few of the hairs on her tails and Chase had to breathe out a ghostly blue ball of fire that was stored in a glass container. We sold them at the apothecary where the potion maker almost salivated at getting his hands on such rare items. After haggling and bargaining, we managed to get a good deal out of the merchant and exchanged the items for a large sum of pewter, the currency of MÄR Heaven.

Getting back on track, we gathered information about any ÄRMs in places nearby the town since we didn't really want to waste money purchasing mainstream ÄRMs… Okay, now I sound totally snobby. I blame Chase for that.

A few hours were spent information gathering but to no avail. However, when we were eating our lunch, we heard about a folk tale of the town.

In the past, there was a mass epidemic right in this very town. The people were dying and no one would help them for fear of contracting the terrible disease. One day, when the townspeople were ready to give up hope, a traveller came into the town and miraculously cured every single person afflicted with the disease.

"I will give you this Holy ÄRM in case of such future accidents. It will be hidden in a cave system nearby so that you will be able to use it in case of emergencies without anyone sabotaging you." The man had said.

The villagers were extremely grateful and gave him a hero's welcome. As soon as the man left, however, people were sent to the cave system – the only one nearby – to look for the ÄRM to check if it was there. To their horror, there was no ÄRM. It had either been stolen, or the man had lied to them.

Of course, it was dismissed as a tall tale since there were no records on any epidemics in the town. However, it was the only lead we had so we decided to head to the cave system to explore it.

* * *

The cave system was rather simple. There were only two caves – a small cave at the entrance that was connected to the other larger cave by a short passageway. We searched about the back of the cave first, guessing that if there was any secret entrance of some sort, it would definitely be at the back. Of course, our efforts were for naught since nothing was found even after covering every single inch of the cave twice.

We were about to leave the mini cave system when I noticed something odd in the small cave. There was a rock whose shape just couldn't be natural. I stared at the rock hard, wondering what the heck was eating at my mind about it. Chase and Ren had paused in their steps as well and turned to inspect the rock I was gazing at.

They touched and pushed at the rock but nothing happened of course.

"Bah. Let's just leave. It's just another rock." Chase snorted and turned around.

As he did so, his tails slapped against the rock and a hollow echo was heard. Our eyes widened and we proceeded to inspect that rock closely. I lifted a hand and tapped at the rock gently, causing the hollow sound to reverberate in the cave.

"It's hollow!" I exclaimed excitedly. "We should probably break this thing!"

"Wait! Let me check if there are any traps or if it has any mechanisms." Ren stopped us and sent a tendril of youki to the rock, encasing the entire thing completely.

She closed her eyes and concentrated hard, seemingly staring at something we cannot see.

"It's an empty cavity. There is something inside as well as a sentient Guardian ÄRM that is programmed to activate the moment this rock is smashed. The item inside is probably the ÄRM in the folk tale we heard about." The Kitsune reported.

"Probably..?" I asked.

"I'm not sure since the Guardian ÄRM's presence is interfering with my ability to scan the item." Ren sighed. "Best be prepared for any nasty surprises."

I groaned as many scenarios bounced around in my mind. I've always had an active imagination and coupled with some horror movies I've watched, it was a living nightmare. I gulped as I looked at the rock dubiously, not wanting to get close to that thing.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Break that rock." Chase commented as he stared at his claws and picked at them. "We're running on a schedule ya know?"

I sighed and readied myself to face any horrible thing that would emerge from the rock, though Ren had attempted to assuage my fears by telling me that I would be able to face anything that came out of that rock.

I breathed in deeply and lifted up my fist as I closed my eyes. With my sixth sense, I easily spotted the weak point of the rock and shattered it within a few seconds. A bright light immediately flashed, causing the three of us to flinch and close our eyes.

The moment we reopened our eyes, dreading to see what sort of terrible guardian was summoned, we were shocked to see a large snake with feathery wings and crests.

"Q-Quetzalcoatl…" I was unable to believe my eyes.

A Kitsune and Nekomata was one thing since there were many legends about them in Japan and there were still reports of seeing them even today. However, Quetzalcoatl is different. It is an ancient Aztec GOD worshipped by many in the PAST.

"Oh, it seems like the human knows my name." The snake hissed, amused. "Yes, I am Quetzalcoatl, a Guardian ÄRM sent to protect the Holy ÄRM Asclepius from any intruders, as tasked by my master many decades ago."

"We would like to have Asclepius since we will be entering the War Games soon." I explained. "We are willing to fight or pass your tests in order to get the ÄRM to help and save people."

"Very well. You shall have to answer a simple question of mine. If I deem the answer satisfactory, I will step aside and allow you to retrieve the Holy ÄRM. If not, you will be eaten by me." The large snake nodded his head at me.

I returned the nod nervously, wondering what difficult question would be posed.

"If there was an epidemic and everyone was ill and dying, including yourself. Let's say that you have gotten your hands on the Asclepius. Your friends and family are around you, begging for you to save them. Who would you save first?" Quetzalcoatl stared at me with his large, yellow slitted eyes. "You only have one chance to answer, so make it count."

Ren and Chase grimaced at the question while I ruminated, tossing idea after idea away before I finally decided upon an answer.

"I won't save anyone. I will heal myself first." I answered.

Ren and Chase stared at me in shock at my answer.

"An interesting answer. And why heal yourself first, human?" The feathered snake hissed at me, slithering closer.

"If I don't even have any strength due to the epidemic, how can I even help anyone? Once I heal myself first, I will be able to utilise the ÄRM and help everyone instead of saving only one person, which might not be possible depending on the severity of the epidemic and the amount of magical energy I have left." I elaborated and worried my bottom lip as the ancient snake looked slightly stunned.

A rasping laughter greeted me, the sound of snake laughing hard at my answer.

"Such an intriguing human… Yes, I shall accept that answer." He bowed his head slightly at me before slithering aside.

I went forward and claimed my prize, a bracelet consisting of a smooth metal band that had a snake wound around it. I attached it to my right wrist and thanked the amused Guardian ÄRM.

"This ÄRM will heal most wounds and cure illnesses. But beware that the severity of the wound and illness is proportional to the amount of magical energy required." The serpent warned me before turning to slither away.

"Where are you going next?" I asked, curious.

If Quetzalcoatl had eyebrows, he would probably have raised one of them.

"Probably explore. My master is already dead so I have no ties to the world." He replied nonchalantly.

"Well, do you fancy coming with us? I could use a powerful Guardian ÄRM like you in the War Games." I offered.

"Shin!" Ren sounded rather scandalised. "That sounds quite rude! You should rephrase your words properly."

"Huh?" I didn't really understand where she was going.

"You should be more formal." She lectured. "Asking someone to accompany you to something dangerous is not something that should be done casually."

"Oh…" I nodded my head and turned around to face the tickled snake.

"I would love to join you." He cut in. "Your group entertains me."

"Welcome aboard then." I stretched out a hand.

Quetzalcoatl gave another rasping laugh before extending his tail and placing it in my hand, shaking it and transforming into a silver arm cuff shaped like a coiling, feathered snake.

"Well, it's already evening so let's get some rest at the inn before heading off tomorrow." I smiled at my two companions.

"Only you, Shin. Only you." Chase shook his head and patted my shoulder.

"What? I don't understand." I was extremely confused. "What did I do?"

"It's nothing." Ren smiled. "Let's return to the town."

"Do you think we should return them the Holy ÄRM?" I asked.

"Nah. They think it's a folk tale anyway." Chase snorted. "Don't see any point in handing them something we would use."

"If you say so." I decided to listen to Chase this time round.

We returned to town and rested at the inn, saving our energy for the battle that would come tomorrow.

* * *

We awoke late in the morning and scrambled around to eat and gear up in order to make it in time for the start of the War Games.

"I hate oversleeping." I grumbled to myself as I readied to use Andarta at the very pressing time of eleven fifty-seven in the morning.

"Less talk more teleportation!" Ren flailed about.

I snorted and teleported ourselves just outside the castle and entered unnoticed by the people due to the commotion some people were making. When I looked closer, I was surprised to see Ginta amongst the group of people raring to participate. Still, it wasn't very surprising since he was all for peace and disliked unnecessary bloodshed, which the Chess were doing.

As soon as it was noon, a bell tolled and a raven-haired woman wearing a gown appeared on a high balcony.

"Everyone, welcome to Reginrave. You have my heart-felt gratitude for coming." She announced.

"Princess!" Various soldiers cried out, tears welling up at the corner of their eyes.

"Princess..?" Ginta asked, confused.

"That's the Princess of Reginrave." A wounded soldier answered, shocking Ginta.

I could practically see what was going on in his mind.

"Now, the War Game will begin." The Princess stared down at us almost sadly. "But before that, in order to allow only appropriate participants, a test will be held. All participants, please proceed to the central pedestal and select a magic stone."

"This is it." I whispered to Ren and Chase.

They nodded at me, silently encouraging me as I stepped forward soundlessly.

I stepped forward and grabbed one instinctively, ignoring the staring that some people were pinning on me.

"Who's that? Part of the Cross Guard?" I could hear someone ask.

"No, I don't think so. She doesn't have any emblem." Another person answered.

I could feel my eyebrow twitching as Ren and Chase shook in silent laughter.

Did I look that feminine?

I ignored the noise around me and focused on the Princess.

"Commence the test." She looked distressed and sorrowful.

Before I could think any more on that, there was a flash of light and I found myself in a dark space along with Ren and Chase. I remained calm and stared ahead, waiting for something to happen.

A second later, a shirtless man with a mask and bladed tonfa appeared before me and I immediately thought of the dream I had the day before I entered MÄR Heaven via the Gatekeeper Clown. Shaking that thought off, I sped forward and landed a harsh punch to his solar plexus before lifting my foot up and slamming it to his head, knocking him out almost immediately.

Right after I resumed my normal stance, I was teleported back to the castle grounds. Ginta and the other five people he knew were also teleported back. I saw one of them, the teen with spiky blue hair and two triangular marks under his left eye tense up. Ginta also sensed it and asked what was wrong.

"None of the Cross Guard have come back, not even Gaira-san..!" The boy named Alviss replied with a worried expression.

The others teleported back just as he had finished his sentence. The state of them surprised everyone. Why?

Because they were all dead.

"Everyone…" Alviss looked torn between shock and horror.

"Fufufu… They all died." A creature the mixture between a lizard and an imp commented. "The Cross Guard this time round are rather poor. Perhaps all of the strong ones died at the last game. All that's left are trash lower than pawns."

"Kuh! Where's Gaira-san?! There's no way he'd lose to a pawn!" Alviss demanded angrily.

"Fufufu… Who said there were only pawns?" The imp chuckled. "There was one magic stone labelled instant failure. There was one man with supremely poor luck. Perhaps that was him."

As the creature said that, a person wearing a skull mask with green spiky hair attached to its top appeared, donning a loose robe and black pants. Almost immediately, I could recognise that this person was strong, very strong.

Barely a second later, a heavily wounded man appeared, calling out Alviss' name, receiving an exclamation of his own name in return from said teen.

"I was careless..! To think that I would be removed before the game even started..!" Gaira wheezed as he clutched at his wounds.

"He's still alive! Snow!" Ginta ordered.

"Right!" A girl that looked almost identical to Koyuki replied and rushed over to Gaira.

God, when would I ever be free of that girl..? She's haunting me even in this world?

"As expected from the third seat, Gaira. He may have lost but he survived a fight with Chimera." The purple imp stared at the wounded man appraisingly. "I'm impressed."

I rolled my eyes, unseen by anyone because of the cloak. I mean, who cares if that creature is impressed. What's he supposed to do anyway?

"Now then, those who passed are these seven." The creature announced.

"What about me?!" A talking kendama protested.

Well, I guess I can say that I've seen everything now…

"It's rather… disappointing." The imp snorted condescendingly. "Weren't there over thirty from the Cross Guard last time? And all of them are women or children. I think this is hardly enough to entertain Phantom."

Oh how I feel like kicking the living daylights out of this little shit.

"I'll do more than just entertain him." Ginta promised, leashing his anger. "Let's get this game started."

"Now, now. Don't get ahead of yourself." The imp replied, unimpressed. "Today was just the preliminaries. The true War Game will begin tomorrow. For just today, rest well, thankful that you're alive."

With that parting snub, Chimera and the imp teleported away.

* * *

"Just seven people..? We're the only ones in the War Game." A boy with short, spiky black hair and some whiskers looked pretty terrified. "To be honest, I'm scared, Ginta!"

I ignored their conversation and looked around. I saw Snow panting as she struggled to heal the serious wounds of Gaira. I sighed and walked towards them, gaining their attention.

"You're… the other person that qualified. What do you want?" Gaira asked cautiously.

I ignored him and gently patted Snow's shoulder, gesturing for her to move aside.

"B-But… I'm not done healing Gaira-san yet!" She protested tiredly.

"I can tell you're tired. I'll take over." I commanded softly.

She looked about to protest again but Gaira stopped her and turned towards me.

"I'm sorry for the trouble." He apologised in advance.

I didn't reply and lifted my right hand. I removed Asclepius from my wrist and placed it on Gaira's wound.

"Holy ÄRM, Asclepius." I whispered and a green glow emerged from the bracelet, washing over Gaira.

The moment the green light passed over his wounds, it knitted up extremely quickly. Within a few seconds, the third seat of the Cross Guards was fully healed, albeit fatigued from his bout.

The people who witnessed the event, including Snow and the patient himself were amazed by the power of Asclepius. Even Ren, Chase and I were surprised by its strength. Luckily, it didn't sap much magical energy from me so I was still alright, thanks to the rather monstrous amount of magical energy I had after entering the Training Gate…

"That should do it." I nodded my head at Gaira.

"I feel completely fine now." He was rather surprised. "Like I didn't fight at all."

"Wow! That was amazing!" Snow smiled at me.

I shook my head and proceeded to step away. As I was about to take another step, Snow stopped me.

"I'll introduce you to the rest. They're all nice people!" She gave me another blinding smile.

I nodded my head since I had nothing better to do anyway. The two of us headed over to the other five who were chattering about today's events.

"Guys!" Snow greeted.

"Uh… Who's that?" The boy with whiskers asked with a slight blush.

"This is the other member who qualified. We're going to work as a team anyway so let's all be friends!" Snow exclaimed happily.

"I'm Toramizu Ginta! Let's work together to defeat the Chess!" The ever cheerful boy grinned before pointing to the talking kendama. "This is Babbo!"

"I'm Jack!" The boy with whiskers introduced himself.

"As you know, I'm Snow." Koyuki's clone smiled once more.

When is she going to stop smiling..?

"I'm Dorothy." The pink-haired woman stared at me suspiciously.

"I'm Nanashi!" A man with long blonde hair winked at me flirtatiously. "You're pretty cute girl. Wanna hang out?"

I ignored him, though Chase and Ren were snickering at me being mistaken as a female again.

"Alviss. Thanks for healing Gaira-san." The remaining member of the team said coolly.

"I'm Shino." I stated shortly, deciding to go with a gender neutral name instead of revealing my real name.

If people can confuse me as a girl, they might underestimate me, giving me the edge I need to win the match. Plus, my voice hasn't broken yet to I either sound like a girl with a low voice or a normal guy.

"You have a similar name as my friend who came along with me!" He commented happily before turning melancholy. "I wonder what he's doing now… I hope he's safe…"

I almost sighed at Ginta's obliviousness. I was right in front of him! Geez… Still, I am rather comforted that my friend still thinks of me and my well-being.

"Let's head into the castle! I want to see what's inside!" Ginta cheered and dashed to the entrance of it.

"Wait up, Ginta!" Jack huffed and ran after the bouncing ball of energy, followed by Snow.

"Gin-tan!" Dorothy squealed and bounded after him as well.

"Wait up, Dorothy!" Nanashi called out and raced after the witch.

Alviss and I stared at each other before shaking our heads and sighing. We strolled to the entrance, where the others were already creating a ruckus.

"Childish…" Alviss snorted and entered the castle without taking a second glance at the group, his fairy following him faithfully.

"What did you say?!" Jack shook a fist at the teen's retreating back.

"I'm heading in." I informed the loud group and stepped in, Chase and Ren hopping out from my cloak as I did so.

* * *

I walked soundlessly around the halls of the large castle, admiring the tapestries and other statues that decorated them. Ren and Chase looked around in boredom, used to such grand things having lived for more than a century.

"Someone change the scenery. It's so dull." Chase complained.

"Well sorry, Your Highness. This humble peasant isn't able to redecorate this place." I rolled my eyes at the cat.

"You're a hundred years too early to sass me." Chase hopped onto my shoulder and nipped at my ear. "Let's go to the kitchen or something. I'm hungry."

"I want something sweet." Ren voiced her agreement. "Like cakes or pies or something."

"Yes, yes, Your Majesties." I sighed as Ren decided that my head was a good spot for sleeping.

"Now march!" Chase commanded, patting my face imperiously.

"Yeah, yeah." I grumbled as I searched around for the kitchen of this great castle.

"Alviss!" A tinkling voice was heard. "Thanks for the berry! It was really delicious!"

"You're welcome, Belle. I'm glad you liked it." A male's voice replied.

The three of us rounded the corner and saw Alviss eating some berries with his fairy companion. He looked up when he saw the three of us and nodded his head.

"Shino." He greeted.

"It's a fairy!" Ren stared at the creature on Alviss' shoulder, her eyes shining with delight.

Alviss raised an eyebrow while the fairy went to hide.

"It's just a fairy. I don't see what's so great about them." Chase grumbled.

"Hey! Fairies are awesome!" Alviss' fairy flew forward and tapped Chase on his nose hard.

"Why you… I should burn you to ashes." Chase snarled. "No one touches the nose!"

"Eep!" The fairy flew and hid behind her companion again.

"Don't be so childish. It's just a fairy." Ren rolled her eyes. "Let's go. I'm hungry."

"Weren't you the excited one? Geez…" Chase sighed.

"Let's just go to the kitchen. See you later, Alviss and Miss Fairy." I waved and walked past them.

A few seconds later, a blur flitted from the corner of my gaze and stopped before me, revealing the hovering fairy who was carrying a large berry the size of an apple.

"I'm Belle. Here you go." She dropped the berry onto my palm.

"Thanks." I called out as she flew back to her partner.

"You're welcome!" She yelled back.

"Here." I split the berry into two halves and gave them to Chase and Ren. "Eat up."

The two gave their thanks and wolfed down the berry, licking their lips happily after that.

"That hit the spot." Chase burped. "Excuse me."

"Just what I needed." Ren sighed, satisfied.

The three of us abandoned our expedition to the kitchen and instead trekked to the library instead. It was absolutely gigantic, filled with almost endless shelves of various books, tomes, encyclopaedias and the like. We split up and took off in various directions, searching for the books we wanted. A few hours of reading later, a servant came to escort us to the dining room where a sumptuous dinner was served.

Immediately after that, the princess of the castle led us to a spacious room filled with comforts ranging from beds to writing desks to shelves of books.

"Everyone, please rest here for the night." The princess gestured to the room.

"Say, you're the princess of the castle, right? Then why are you giving the opening address for the War Game?" Nanashi inquired curiously.

"It's for the sake of my people. To put it simply, if I don't obey the Chess, the men outside will be in danger. In order to protect them, I am willing to do anything." She gave us a weak smile. "Because I'm their princess."

"Yes. Well said." Snow gave a determined smile.

The princess bowed and took her leave. A tense silence engulfed us thereafter as we stared at each other.

"Ginta… Can I really trust you?" Alviss asked, staring at the blonde boy intensely. "Answer that question through battle. I'll be watching."

It didn't even take a second for Ginta to do a thumbs up to show his agreement. Belle took the chance and flitted over to Ginta, whispering something into his ear. Ginta immediately made a face at her words and muttered something I didn't catch. I decided to ignore the rest and get ready for bed instead.

I went over to one at the far end and shucked my shoes, lying down onto the bed comfortably, cloak on and all. Ren and Chase hopped onto the bed as well and laid down on the pillow my head was on.

"Sleeping so soon?" Nanashi strolled over and asked.

"I'm waking up early to train tomorrow. No sense in wasting time." I replied quietly and tucked myself into the bed.

"Good night then." He waved and went to his own chosen bed.

As I closed my eyes and was about to fall asleep, I sensed someone reaching out towards me. I quickly grabbed the hand and flipped the person over onto the ground.

"Ow!" Jack cried out. "What was that for?!"

"What were you trying to do?" I demanded.

"I-I was just thinking that you'd probably be more comfortable with the cloak off." Jack grumbled. "So much for good intentions."

"Thanks for the kind thought but I'm fine." I replied coldly, knowing that his goal was to see what was under the cloak.

"Anyone who tries will be burnt into a crisp." Chase threatened. "Now go and sleep, you annoying humans."

There was a sharp silence after that as the remaining people in the room shuffled about quietly and went to bed.

Although it was not said, everyone was vibrating with nervous energy since the War Game officially began the next day.

Would we win? Would we lose?

Everything would be revealed tomorrow, I suppose.

I shut my eyes and drifted off to sleep, prepared to face anything tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 6

Author's Note: As usual, if there are any grammar errors, plot holes or any other things which you feel can be improved, feel free to drop me a PM or Review about it. Constructive criticism will be taken into consideration while flaming will be ignored and used to roast vegetables for my bunnies. Also, I try not to create Mary Sues and Gary Stus. If the (accidental) creation occurs, please inform me and I will rectify it ASAP.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

I do not own MÄR Heaven and everything in it. I only own my OCs.

Explanations regarding the accessing of magical power and the theory of it are all my own postulations.

* * *

The lot of us awoke early the next day and had a quick breakfast before gathering at the entrance of the castle once more. We trooped towards the strange purple imp from yesterday, ready to do battle.

"Did you sleep well last night, everyone?" The imp asked, though his tone of voice clearly said that he couldn't care less.

"It was a great night, thanks to those nice and comfortable beds I miss having." Ginta smirked.

"That's great to hear." I could hear the eye roll in the imp's voice. "Then I will now explain the rules for the War Game."

"There are rules?" Ginta remarked, surprised by that as he and Jack turned to face Nanashi.

"It is a game after all, so there should be." Nanashi looked a little confused as well.

"I see." Ginta and Jack turned to face the purple creature once more.

"Battles are coordinated by teams and the number of people is decided by two dice per match." The short, purple creature started.

"So it's all up to the dice!" Jack sounded strangely happy.

"The battle field will be determined by the dice as well." The imp turned to scrutinise us. "Let's see… What's your name?"

Jack looked surprised at being singled out before puffing up in pride.

"I-I-It's Jack!" He exclaimed nervously.

"Jack-san, is it?" The imp would have raised an eyebrow if it had any.

"Y-Yeah." Jack replied proudly and coughed self-importantly.

"Someone should give him a good smack to the head." Chase whispered to Ren and I.

"I have a feeling it will happen later." I replied while Ren simply giggled.

Our attention was recaptured by the imp once more when he began to speak.

"For example, if the dice decided that the match will be a 3 vs. 3, and Jack-san would be one of them…"

"Then why not make the other two Snow and me?" Ginta cut in.

"Even if Jack-san personally loses, if more individuals in his team are victorious, Jack-san's team wins." The imp nodded his head.

"I see, so even if Jack loses, as long as Snow and I prevail, our team wins 2 – 1." Ginta smiled while Jack gave him a dirty look.

"Yes." The imp seemed to be supressing a long suffering sigh.

"Why am I the loser in the example?" The farmer grumbled.

"'Cause you look like the weakest." Chase snickered, causing Ren and I to do so as well.

"On top of that, since you won as a team, Jack-san is capable of competing in the next battle, provided that he's still alive after the previous match." The purple creature continued nonchalantly.

"Urgh! That's not funny!" Jack protested wildly.

"It actually is." I snidely commented to my two companions, both of whom laughed softly at my comment.

"On the other hand, even if the other team loses, the winner against Jack-san can participate in the next battle." The imp informed us blandly. "Meanwhile, Jack-san, who lost, will be given a rematch against the same opponent."

Ginta grimaced at that, seeming to be straining his brain as he thought hard.

"Eh… So what are the rules, Nanashi?" He asked the thief seriously.

"Is your head empty?!" Nanashi yelled.

"So as long as you win as a team, it's all good." Dorothy looked pleased. "Even if you did lose as a team, the winning individual can keep going."

"Yes." The imp nodded.

"So ultimately, only the strong people will remain." Snow frowned.

"Ah, I see. So it's good as long as you keep winning." Ginta smiled. "You should've said so from the beginning."

"Idiot." I muttered under my breath while my demonic friends snorted in agreement.

"I did." The purple creature looked as if he was about to explode.

How patient. I salute thee, purple imp-like creature…

"Sounds like the rules are the same as last time." Alviss commented coolly.

"Yes." The imp seemed relieved that someone understood his explanation.

"In that case, we'll have to decide on a captain." Alviss frowned.

"Captain?" Ginta looked shocked again.

"Indeed. We'll have to pick a captain out of you seven." The imp stared at us thoughtfully. "Even if the team wins, if the captain loses, the whole game will end."

"So let's say Jack was the captain…" Ginta thought hard. "Even if Snow and I won, since our captain lost, the team would lose?"

"Yes." The imp sounded quite irritated at Ginta.

"He's a blonde alright." Chase sighed. "How are we going to survive..?"

Ren and I chortled at that as Ginta replied that he understood rather joyfully. Meanwhile, Jack was depressed at being made an example of losing again.

"Looks like you're starting to understand." The imp looked satisfied. "Then please decide on your captain. Six years ago, Danna from the Cross Guard was the captain while our captain was the number one Knight, Phantom. So? Who will you choose?"

We stared at each other, measuring the potential of each member with our eyes.

"Well?" The imp pressed.

"Can you give us some time?" Alviss asked.

"Fair enough. But please do hurry, since there are people waiting for the match to begin." The purple imp sighed.

The eight of us – including the strange dog that Snow has with her – gathered in a loose circle.

"Based on Pozun's explanation, the captain is the key." Jack mused.

Oops… I guess I missed the imp's name since I wasn't paying much attention.

"I think Alviss would be good." Ginta suggested. "He experienced the previous battle and understands the rules clearly. Right?"

The silence that greeted his opinion made him look up and stare at everyone, only to notice that all of us were staring hard at him. A few seconds later, he finally got the hint and looked flabbergasted.

"M-Me?!" He croaked out.

"I'd like to make either Allan-san or myself captain, but Allan-san is inside the dog right now." Alviss looked frustrated. "And you have a common trait with Danna-san: you both came from a parallel world."

Oh, so Allan, the second most powerful man was trapped inside the strange dog that Snow had with her. Probably because of a curse I suppose…

"Are you sure I'm the right choice?" Ginta asked, not having much faith in himself.

Dorothy pushed Jack aside to stand beside Ginta with a wide smile.

"That means everyone has high expectations of you, Gin-tan." She ended her proclamation with a kiss to his cheek, causing him to blush madly while Snow looked angry.

"Wow… A love triangle huh…" I muttered to my companions who looked quite interested in the situation.

"Never seen one for quite some time." Chase nodded his agreement as he snuggled closer to my neck.

"Hooray for drama!" Ren cuddled deeper into my hair.

Ginta ignored the kiss, staring at his fist determinedly.

"I'm filled with anxiety but I guess it's just superstition." Alviss sighed and ran a hand through his spiky hair.

"Then why don't YOU do it?! Idiot!" Ginta hollered angrily at the teen.

"How dare you say that to Alviss?!" Belle looked absolutely outraged. "Stupid Ginta!"

"I should actually be the one, but…" Babbo decided to join the conversation.

"Babbo?" Ginta asked.

"Don't forget that I'm the reason why everyone chose you as the captain." Babbo smirked. "My first servant."

"Shut up, you loud-mouthed kendama!" Ginta shouted, glaring at Babbo, causing a fight to erupt between the two.

"Childish." I rolled my eyes as I stared at the scene.

"Have you settled it?" Pozun emerged from his sleep and stared at us.

"Yeah, we have." Alviss stated.

"The captain is Toramizu Ginta, me!" Ginta pointed a thumb at himself.

"Ginta-san, is it? Okay then." Pozun nodded.

"Is it going to be alright?" One person whispered worriedly.

"He's just a kid." Another murmured.

"He won't even be able to put up a fight." A third cynical voice commented.

"That boy is captain?" I could hear Gaira mutter.

"I guess it's about time." Pozun stared at us. "We're officially starting the War Game! Princess Reginrave!"

The entire lot of us craned our necks to stare up to where the high balcony is. The Princess of Reginrave appeared in her usual yellow gown, looking slightly distressed. She took in a deep breath before flinging out the pair of dice from her hand.

The red die and blue die clattered onto the stone ground noisily, each displaying a proud three on the topmost face of the die.

Pozun took his time to look at the dice, analysing it before stepping backwards.

"They're both three. The first three means that the battle will be a 3 vs. 3. The second three means that the location is here, at Reginrave Field." The imp declared.

* * *

The ground opened up right in front of us and a large piece of rock emerged, ending slightly elevated to the ground.

"Wow, what a gadget. Good for them." Nanashi stared at the plate in slight wonder.

"And our opponents are?" Alviss directed the question to Pozun.

"I'll call them right now." The imp stated. "Come out, Chess' first team!"

As soon as he said that, a group of three people arrived in a red glow, revealing two males and a female.

"The Rodokin Family!" Pozun introduced with a flourish.

"So they're our first opponents." Ginta looked fired up.

"There's really only seven of them?" One of males – the one with a mask – of the Rodokin Family snorted condescendingly.

"Looks like an easy win for us, right pops?" The girl smirked.

Jack looked love-struck at the girl's smile, causing me to shake my head while Chase and Ren shook with laughter.

"Oh man, this is going to be rich." Chase managed to choke out.

"He's going to get his ass whooped!" Ren giggled.

"Now, decide on your three contestants please." Pozun ordered us.

"I'll go as captain." Ginta volunteered.

"If Gin-tan's gonna go, maybe I'll go as well!" Dorothy raised her hand enthusiastically.

"Then me too!" Snow didn't want to lose out against Dorothy.

"No, let me go first!" Jack argued.

"Why don't I show off what I've got?" Nanashi interjected.

"I'll go." Alviss snorted curtly.

"I don't really care as long as I get to fight." I chipped in.

"What, everyone wants to go?" Ginta frowned. "Alright, let's settle this with Janken!"

The seven of us closed in and got ready to play.

"Listen, only rock and paper, got it?" Nanashi decreed. "Those that get the same hand as our captain will compete, got it?"

And so, the game began. We went through several rounds until the results were finally out.

In the end, Ginta, Jack and Alviss were the lucky ones who were going to fight this round.

"Alright. We're ready!" The blonde announced.

"Damn it, I wanted to fight a girl. The one with pink hair or the cloaked one would be nice." The masked man complained. "It's so boring against just guys."

"Don't underestimate them, Leno." The bald male said in his gravelly voice.

"I'm telling you they're nothing!" Leno protested.

"Good luck, Ginta!" Snow smiled.

"Leave it to me!" Ginta pretended to roll his sleeves up and marched towards the fighting ground.

"Wait. I'll go first." Alviss stopped him.

"Good luck, Alviss." I nodded my head at the teen.

"Ah." He nodded back and hopped onto the plate.

"Alviss." Ginta stared after him seriously.

"Ginta, I'll show you what a real battle is." Alviss continue his confident gait.

Leno hopped up onto the plate as well, ready to battle.

"Rodokin Family, Leno." Pozun introduced. "Cross Guard, Alviss."

The two teens stared at each other, tension crackling in the air.

The next few minutes were boring to say the least, since Alviss was just toying around with his opponents. A few seconds after that, he ended the fight with just one blow using his ÄRM, the Thirteen Totem Pole. Needless to say, everyone was in awe of his accomplishment – other than me and my two friends since we've been through Günther's hellish training – and were cheering wildly at his victory.

Meanwhile, Ginta commented that he had dodged all thirteen poles before so this was nothing while Jack agreed with him. Alviss got mad at that and said that he just wasn't serious on that day.

Ah, the pride of male youth. How adorable.

"You seem amused, Shin." Ren commented.

"I am." I replied shortly as I made my way over to Alviss, along with the others.

"Good job, Alviss." I congratulated him blandly.

"Eh, you could use some more work." Chase snorted as he poked his head out of my cloak.

"You should've just ended him in one blow." Ren agreed as she slid down from my head and poked her head out from my other shoulder.

Alviss only nodded his head calmly and thanked us before turning back and muttering something that I couldn't really hear.

As the team praised Alviss and congratulated him, I noticed Leno's father picking him up.

"I'm sorry, pops." I could hear Leno say.

"Un." His father grunted.

"This feels like when I pissed Günther off by fighting the entire mountain of bandits and won but had rather serious wounds." I sighed to my two furry partners.

"I remember how mad he was." Ren recalled. "But he was too worried about you to care about anything else."

"Yeah. He's pretty scary when he's pissed off." Chase gulped.

"Pano, take care of the rest." The bald man said.

"Leave it to me, pops." The aqua-haired girl replied confidently. "Don't worry, Leno. I'm next. I'll avenge you."

Pano swung her weapon to the side as she glared at us fiercely while their father set Leno in the entrance of the building before emerging out, as stony as he was in the beginning.

"That's a nice family…" I smiled softly and padded quietly over to them.

The two looked immediately on guard the moment I approached.

"What do you want?" Pano snarled. "Come to finish him off?"

"I… I'm here to heal him." I lifted up my hand to show her Asclepius. "This is a Holy ÄRM."

"Psh. Who knows wha-" Pano started but was cut off by her father.

"Leave him be and fight." The built man said, patting her shoulder.

Pano scoffed but hopped up to the plate anyway.

"So who's going to be my opponent?" She demanded.

"Alright! I'll take her on!" Ginta proclaimed excitedly.

"W-W-Wait a minute, Ginta!" Jack all but yelled as he stopped the blonde.

I snorted and shook my head before heading to where Leno was. He was laid down, facing the ceiling of the building. The moment he saw me, he immediately attempted to get up, wincing as he did so.

"I'm here to help." I walked over swiftly and gently pushed his onto my lap so that I can access his wounds easier and have a clearer view since this place lacked proper lighting.

"W-What do you think you're doing! Don't think that just because you're a girl I won't dare to hit you!" He threatened weakly.

"Keep quiet." I ordered as I took off Asclepius and placed it on Leno's chest. "Holy ÄRM: Asclepius."

A green glow emerged from the bracelet, washing over Leno. As with Gaira's case, the moment the green light touched his wounds, they knitted up immediately.

"There. I hope you feel better." I patted his head before propping him up against the wall.

Just as I was about to leave, I could hear him cough and say something.

"T-Thanks." He mumbled, a mixture of shy and sulky.

"You're welcome." I smiled back, amused by his attitude.

* * *

The moment I exited, I saw that Jack had summoned his ÄRM, which was generously called a Battle Scoop when it was just a nice shovel.

Do you know what the best thing was?

It landed on his foot when he summoned it, causing him to shriek in pain.

"He's an idiot alright. Has the brains of a rat." I shook my head, sighing for the umpteenth time.

"Oh lord, we're going to die if he's supposed to be part of the team." Chase shook his head as well, disappointed.

"Well, I guess he can still become our entertainer or something…" Ren mumbled, trying to assuage her fears.

"Weapon ÄRM: Ball Hammer!" Pano yelled, catching Jack right in his stomach.

"Your daughter ain't half-bad." Chase told the bald man. "She's putting Jack on the defensive."

The bald man only grunted as he continued to observe the match.

"How rude." Chase huffed.

"He's just concerned about his family, so shut up." I rolled my eyes at cat demon.

"Ugh!" I could hear Jack call out in pain, only to see that the Ball Hammer is apparently detachable and had swerved in and hit him from behind.

"Man, he's done." Ren whistled. "Doner than done!"

"I knew this would happen!" Chase snorted. "I mean look at him!"

"So the monkey's done, eh?" Leno commented as he walked out of the den.

"Leno." His father stared at him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Thanks to the pretty lady over there." The masked teen gave me a flirtatious wink.

"Oh man, he thinks you're a girl!" Chase chortled, whispering into my ear. "And even when his head was on your lap, he couldn't tell you're a guy!"

Ren was just busy laughing madly while my eye twitched like I was having a seizure or something.

"What?!" Leno demanded.

"Nothing kid, nothing." Chase choked out and attempted to compose himself.

Just as the masked teen wanted to retort, Jack began to stand up, using his shovel as a crutch.

"It's…not…over yet!" Jack panted out, glaring at Pano determinedly.

"He's got guts." Chase admitted grudgingly. "Most would just stay down after that."

I could hear the crowd murmuring about how weak he was and how he couldn't measure up to Alviss. I was honestly getting pretty miffed by that.

I mean, sure, I made fun of Jack… But it didn't have any heat behind it, just some harmless teasing that where the words weren't meant to be taken seriously. But this? This is just plain discouragement.

"Just shut up and watch." Dorothy ordered them sharply. "He just hasn't shown us what he's got."

This caused the crowd to quieten and hang their heads in shame.

"Pfft. Only have the guts to say that since they aren't the ones fighting." I muttered angrily to myself. "Disgusting humans."

"You're a human too, Shin-chan." Ren patted my cheek with her soft paw.

"Well, sometimes I don't want to be one." I crossed my arms, annoyed. "It's pretty depressing to be the same race as those things."

As I brooded over the nature of humanity, I saw Jack drop some beans onto the plate and slam his shovel down as well.

"Grow! Earth beans!" He yelled out.

The moment he did, a large amount of thick, green vines grew from those tiny seeds and headed towards Pano, who was frozen in shock. The head of the Rodokin family tensed with worry as he saw the vines trap his daughter.

"W-What is this?! No!" She shrieked.

Everyone began to clamour, amazed at Jack's feat of strength.

"Not bad. A little shabby though." Chase commented, bored.

"Now, it's time for your punishment." Jack smirked and began to walk towards the trapped girl.

"What's he planning to do with her, I wonder?" Ren yawned.

Jack walked forwards until he was right in front of Pano. He gave another smirk as he began to climb up until he was face to face with her.

"If he's planning to do that, I'll kill him myself." I snarled angrily, unconsciously activating Tessen. "I'll slice him to ribbons."

"He is a male…" Chase trailed off.

"Bastard! Don't touch me!" Pano yelled her head off. "Pervert!"

"Why that monkey! What's he trying to do to my sister?!" Leno looked ready to charge in and mow down Jack.

Meanwhile, the crowd all looked shocked since their view was blocked by Jack so they couldn't tell if Jack really did touch Pano inappropriately.

"Looks like I can get some sliced farmer." I hissed out. "Anyone want some?"

"N-Now, calm down, Shin-chan! Don't do anything rash! You'll tear up the entire area!" Ren panicked. "Chase, help me!"

"Maa, maa… Let it be." Chase waved off her concerns indifferently.

"He was peeping in the shower when we were in the Training Gate." Dorothy frowned.

"Eh?! So he really did touch her!" Snow shouted out for the entire world to hear.

"WHY THAT NO GOOD…! I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" Leno roared as he tried to charge to the plate.

"Why am I the one restraining him?" I asked no one in particular as I grabbed hold of his arms and pulled him towards my body.

"Pervert!" Pano screamed again, causing Jack to backpedal hastily.

"I didn't touch her!" He protested.

"Pervert, pervert, pervert!" Pano continued to shriek.

The crowd gave him the stink eye and everyone chanted pervert, team MÄR included.

"I'm not a pervert!" Jack steamed. "I said I didn't touch her and I mean it!"

"Pervert, pervert!" Pano chanted.

At that moment, Jack groaned.

Why?

Because something truly painful happened. The Ball of Pano's Ball Hammer had detached and slammed right into Jack's groin, smack dab in the family jewels.

"Ow." I stated in monotone.

Pano looked shocked as well. Perhaps her ÄRM reacted in accordance to her feelings?

Whatever it was, everyone present was stunned into silence.

The ball rolled off a moment later, sending Jack crashing to the floor along with his shovel. With Jack downed, the vines also loosened their grip on Pano and retreated back to their master.

"Down! Winner, Chess Pieces, Pano!" Pozun declared.

"Wow…" Chase was pretty speechless. "That's gotta hurt."

Ren nodded her head stiffly, too surprised to speak.

"T-That's sis alright…" Leno stuttered in fear before regaining his composure. "Still holding onto me, beautiful? I guess you like me too!"

I quickly let go of the blue-haired male after that, causing him to pout behind his mask, not that I could see it. It's just the feeling I get.

Pano ran back to where we were and gave her father a bear hug.

"I did it, pops!" She giggled happily.

"Un." He grunted back.

"Way to go, sis!" Leno patted her back.

"Leave the rest to me." The tattooed man said and set his daughter down gently.

* * *

He walked slowly to the plate, standing there tall and proud as Ginta stepped up as well.

"Regardless, Ginta is the captain. If Ginta loses any fight, then all of you lose." Pozun commented cheerfully. "Captain fight! From the Chess Pieces, Garon! From Cross Guard, Ginta!"

"I'm with MÄR. Don't get it wrong." Ginta told a surprised Pozun.

"Now then, let's start this with a bang!" The blonde boy smirked.

"The final match of the first battle, begin!" Pozun announced.

Basically, the entire fight went like this:

Ginta went on the offense by shifting Babbo to some weird ball thing on his hand and smashing it to Garon's head. He was then promptly backhanded whereby Garon revealed that he has five body hardening ÄRM on one hand while the other has five physical strength enhancing ÄRM.

Ginta then proceeded to change his tactics to use the second form of Babbo, a bubble launcher where the bubbles explode upon contact. Of course, it didn't work on the giant of a man, who only commented that it hurt a little. The bear of a man dashed forward surprisingly nimbly and gave Ginta a harsh punch to his stomach.

Just as Garon was about to leave, Ginta stood up and panted hard, declaring that he's not dead yet. That was when the flow of his magical power changed and many Chess members were staring at him closely. His third form of that was a gigantic stone monster resembling a gargoyle with a gem-like bottom. Looks like he remembered what I taught him about Europe…

Anyway, the guardian ÄRM reared back a fist to hit Garon, who overconfidently took the hit since he thought it was just a regular guardian ÄRM… Oh how wrong he was… Garon was definitely having trouble holding his ground.

"P-Pops!" Pano called out worriedly.

"I won't forgive you." Ginta muttered, his eyes shadowed by his fringe. "You kill people just for entertainment. How could I forgive that?!"

With the last yell of fury, Gargoyle was powered up even further, breaking all of Garon's ÄRM, causing him to gasp in shock. With its great claws, the stone guardian scooped up Garon and slammed him onto the unforgiving stone ground, causing a large cloud of smoke to drift out from the point of impact.

When the stone finally cleared, Garon was seriously injured but forced himself to stand and face the guardian.

"Pops! Give up, pops!" Leno hollered frantically, fearful for his father's life.

"Leno." Pano stopped her brother.

"What?!" He snapped agitatedly.

"Pops ain't strong just because of those ÄRMs." Pano frowned. "When we were small, he saved us from the monster without any ÄRMs equipped."

"You're kidding…" Leno's eye widened.

"It's the truth, Leno…" Pano stated seriously. "He started to equip Nature ÄRMs after that incident in order to protect us."

The two siblings turned to look at their father, who is extremely badass, if I may add.

"Even without an ÄRM, pops can fight monsters." Pano declared.

"I-I'm not done yet…" Garon panted out.

"Let's finish this, Gargoyle!" Ginta proclaimed.

The giant of a guardian started to move towards the wincing bald man, causing the two siblings and I to stare in horror.

He was a good man. It would be a pity to see him gone…

"Finish!" Ginta punched his fist forward, causing his ÄRM to let out an ear-splitting roar.

The gargoyle reared back once more, ready to punch Garon into oblivion.

"Stop it!"

Just as the punch was about to hit, Pano had ran up and stood in front of the heavily wounded Garon, her eyes welling up with unshed tears, the gigantic fist of the monster barely an inch away from her face.

"Stop, please." Pano begged. "It's fine if pops loses, so spare him!"

"P-Pano…" Garon wheezed out in shock.

"To us… He's our precious pops." She sniffled, ready to cry any moment.

Garon could only utter his daughter's name again, frozen in place. He gave a loud groan and was about to collapse but was supported by Leno.

"L-Leno…" He stared at his son in wonder.

"I get your point." Leno mumbled. "I always wondered why you never gave me a stronger ÄRM, but from now on, I will become stronger by myself and stop relying on ÄRMs so much."

"Leno…" Garon repeated his son's name, well and truly surprised by Leno's words.

"You haven't lost, pops." Leno stared at his father, full of emotions.

Upon seeing this scene, Ginta allowed his surge of magical power to fade away, causing Gargoyle to turn back to Babbo.

Just then, Garon couldn't hold on any longer and was about to collapse. I quickly ran up to the plate and brought out Asclepius. With a single mutter of the bracelet's name, a green glow emerged to heal Garon's extensive wounds.

"Pano. Leno." Garon rumbled.

"It's over." Pano told Pozun, who looked very startled by the turn of events.

"Y-Yes!" The purple imp gaped in shock and declared Ginta to be the winner.

The crowd cheered in happiness, overjoyed by the victory brought by Team MÄR.

"This is the best I can do. If I continue to use Asclepius, he might get magical poisoning from magical power overload." I grimaced and attached my bracelet back to my wrist.

"You've already done the best you can." Pano's eyes shone brightly with thanks. "Thank you very much, for helping us."

"Thank you. I… I…" Leno faltered.

"Thank you." Garon cut in. "Let's go."

"You're welcome to come to the castle anytime. If anyone bothers you, just tell me and I'll… play with them for a bit." I smiled at the trio while Chase and Ren shuddered in fear.

"We'll take you up on it on a later date." Pano smiled and nudged her brother.

"Y-Yeah! You can come over to our home any time too!" Leno replied nervously.

With that, the family walked off the plate contentedly while I headed over to Ginta.

* * *

"That's a nice thing you did." Babbo commented the moment I stopped before them.

"It was nothing. I only did what I could to help anyone." I answered calmly, satisfied with what I had done.

"I don't think most people would do that, since the Chess are the enemy." Babbo stared at me thoughtfully.

"That's because humans only think of themselves, never once sparing a thought for others." My gaze started to sharpen in anger. "They don't think of the other party, if he or she or they had any reasons to resort to doing that. They only care about themselves."

I thought back onto my time on Earth where I was always misunderstood and the gangsters picked on me. Of course, I couldn't let them just beat me up so I always retaliated. Because of that, the adults always thought that I was a problem child and picked on me as well. I hate that world, a world where people were narrow-minded and insensitive to other's plights.

"You're looking scary there, Shino." Nanashi's voice broke me out of my reminiscing.

I realised that everyone had already gathered around us and were looking at me worriedly.

"I'm fine, just that I remembered some unpleasant memories." I shook of my scowl. "Anyway, congratulations, Ginta, and thanks for not killing Garon and stopping just before Gargoyle hit Pano. They're nice people, just people who picked the wrong side."

"Nah, it's no big deal. I could see that they were good people as well." Ginta gave a wide grin and put his hands behind his head.

"Miss Shino, I think that Leno guy likes you." Babbo cut in suddenly with a sly grin.

"What?!" Came the shout from Nanashi. "How dare he think of putting his hands on our Shino!"

"Calm down. It's just some puppy crush he formed on Shin-chan." Chase rolled his eyes. "It'll wear off eventually."

"Yeah. It's not the first time someone had a crush on Shin-chan." Ren snickered. "Oh, I still remember Lupus…"

"Huh..? What's the deal with Lupus..?" I was confused. "He just treats me as a good sibling."

"You blind sod… That poor guy…" Chase shook his head, peals of laughter escaping him. "He blushed when he looked at you for too long, for MÄR's sake."

"He did..?" I cocked my head aside, trying to think of any incident when I saw Lupus do that.

"Oh, Shino…" Belle giggled. "You're pretty popular, huh?"

"You guys got it wrong! I'm sure they just like me as a friend!" I protested.

"Shino, Shino…" Nanashi patted my shoulder. "Guys like nice girls like you."

"Enough already! I'm heading back to the castle!" I grumbled angrily as I walked past the group quickly, trying to get as fast as possible away from laughing people. "Geez…"

"It's the truth!" Ren sang happily. "Oh, I'm so happy that you're popular with the guys!"

"I am a guy, you know?" I deadpanned.

"Shin, you poor soul… She's something very, very horrible. Something that lurks in the dark, waiting to prey on poor unsuspecting males… She's a…" Chase paused dramatically, gulping and shivering in fear as he did so before lowering his voice to a fraction of a whisper. "Yaoi fangirl!"

I almost gasped in horror, just to go along with the mood set. The Nekomata patted my cheek with his paw pityingly. "Good luck. She's going to try to match you up with various guys now."

"Oh, lord…" I almost staggered.

"Chase! Don't ruin my fun!" Ren whined. "I want Shin to find a nice man to settle down with. That Alviss seems like a nice guy, if a little too serious."

"Give me a break." I groaned while Chase continued to pat my cheek in an attempt to console me.

And thus, the day ended with a sumptuous feast and the joy of having been victorious over the Chess Pieces.


End file.
